Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan plan to meet soon after discussing efforts to facilitate grain exports from Ukraine over the phone, the Kremlin said on Monday.
Since Russia’s incursion into Ukraine on February 24, Turkey has served as a go-between for Moscow and Kiev. The most recent talks between Russian and Ukrainian representatives took place in Istanbul at the end of March.
After issuing a statement about the phone call, the Kremlin did not immediately respond to a request for additional comment.
‘An exchange of views on the situation in Ukraine has continued,’ it said, ‘including in the context of coordinating efforts to ensure the safety of navigation in the Black Sea and grain exports to global markets.’
According to the Turkish state-owned Anadolu news agency, Erdogan told Putin on Monday that it was time to put a United Nations plan to establish a sea corridor for Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea into action.
Since the outbreak of the conflict, Ukraine, one of the world’s largest grain producers, has been unable to use the seaports that had previously served as its primary export conduit, and has been able to export only about one-third of the grain it would have sent abroad.
A lack of Ukrainian grain has contributed to record-high global food prices and heightened concerns about food security.
According to official data, grain accounts for nearly one-fifth of all Ukrainian exports.
Post Your Comments