Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February halted Kyiv’s Black Sea grain exports, threatening a global food crisis.
The Defense Ministers of Russia and Turkey discussed a potential grain export corridor from Ukraine, as well as the situation in northern Syria, the Turkish Defense Ministry said as Ankara and Moscow prepared for the talks. negotiations between their foreign ministers.
NATO member Turkey shares a maritime border with both Russia and Ukraine in the Black Sea and is mediating between both sides in their war. Turkey has supported Kyiv and refused to impose sanctions on Moscow.
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu assessed “all measures that can be taken regarding the safe transportation of grain, sunflower and all other agricultural products.” other industries,” the Turkish Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.
The announcement came as the foreign ministers of the two countries met in Ankara to negotiate United Nations-led efforts to open a safe corridor for grain shipments from Ukraine and Syria.
Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine in February suspending Kyiv .’s Black Sea grain exportsthreatens a global food crisis, and has has pushed world food prices to record levels.
UK seeks investigation
Black Sea ports in Ukraine, the world’s fourth-biggest grain exporter, have been blockaded by the Russian navy since the invasion, with some 20 million tonnes of grain currently trapped in the country.
The United Nations is trying to broker a deal to allow shipping of Ukrainian grain from ports like Odesa. Russia has said it wants Western sanctions lifted as part of a deal to end port blockades.
Ukraine and the West have accused Moscow of weaponizing the global food supply. Russia blamed the situation on what it said were Ukrainian anti-ship mines in the Black Sea waters and international sanctions against Moscow.
On Tuesday, the UK Agriculture Secretary called for an immediate investigation into allegations that Russia was stealing grain from occupied regions in Ukraine.
Victoria Prentis told an International Grain Council (IGC) conference in London that she had heard first-hand allegations of Russian grain theft from sources in the Kherson region, southern Ukraine, model describe them as very serious.
Russia previously denied stealing grain from Ukraine. Ukraine also alleged last week that Russia had shipped stolen grain to Turkey out of Crimea, which it annexed in 2014. It also accused Russia of sending 100,000 tonnes of stolen Ukrainian wheat. to Syria.
Ukraine’s Deputy Economy Minister Taras Kachka told the IGC conference that the reputations of Russian companies would be damaged for years by what he said were attempts to trade stolen grain.
