Ukraine is negotiating with Turkey and the UN regarding the export of grain through ports - Zelenskyy

MONDAY, 4 JULY, 2022, 21:21  - DANA GORDIYCHUK

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Ukraine is negotiating with Turkey and the UN regarding the export of Ukrainian grain through ports.

He said this at a briefing with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Anderson on Monday.

He emphasised that implementing this project "will be difficult in some places, but definitely possible", because both Ukraine, as a grain exporting country, and farmers, who need exports to prepare for next year's sowing, are eager to do so. Zelenskyy reiterated that 22 million tonnes of grain are currently blocked in the country.

Ukraine is currently working with the UN and in particular directly with the organisation’s Secretary General, Antonio Guterres.

 "Indeed, we are currently negotiating with the Turkish side and the UN. Our representatives who are responsible for the safety of grain exiting our ports. But it is a very important moment for someone to guarantee the safety of the ships of certain countries that come to us to load food products, except Russia, which we do not trust," the President said.

He noted that the UN is taking a leadership position in this process, and does not act as a moderator: "They seem ready to lead this process."

"On our part, Ukraine is not wasting time and we are working on various ways, both by rail and by river, to export our grain. We are increasing this activity on a daily basis," Zelenskyy added.

Reminder:

The Russian Naval fleet is blocking sea routes to Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea coast, making it impossible to safely transport grain to other countries. The international community fears that a shortage of Ukrainian grain on the global food market could provoke even greater instability and lead to coups in developing countries.

Meanwhile, Turkey is trying to mediate talks on unblockading ports by clearing the Black Sea of mines and escorting bulk carriers for their safety. However, Ukraine insists that acceptable guarantees for mine clearance at ports are weapons that Ukraine can deploy in the region.

At the meeting in Ankara between representatives of Russia and Turkey, to which Ukraine was not invited, no concrete agreements were reached. Ukraine stated that it is waiting for communication between the Ukrainian and Turkish sides. 

Fahrettin Altun, head of the media and communications department of the office of the President of Turkey, announced later that a consensus had been reached on the creation of an "operational centre" that would deal with the issue of grain export from Ukraine.