As four-way talks got ready to begin, Ukraine said on Wednesday that a deal to resume grain exports blocked by Russia appeared to be extremely close, bolstering hopes of an end to the deadlock that has put millions at risk of starvation.
Part of what Moscow refers to as its ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine, but which Kyiv and the West say is an unjustified war of aggression, the blockade by Russia has left more than 20 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain stuck in silos at the Black Sea port of Odesa and left dozens of ships stranded.
Before the talks between Ukrainian, Russian, Turkish, and U.N. officials in Istanbul, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told the Spanish newspaper El Pais that Kyiv believed it was now very close to striking a deal for the resume of exports.
‘A agreement with Russia is two steps away from being reached. Now that we are in the last stretch, everything is dependent on Russia ‘It cited what he said. Other negotiators were more circumspect, stating that there was still much to be decided.
At 00:00 GMT, the talks were scheduled to begin behind closed doors.
The fighting was relatively quiet at the front lines of the conflict on Wednesday, when Russia claimed to have downed four Ukrainian military aircraft. The governor of Donetsk reported heavy Russian shelling in the area’s east, but no civilian casualties.
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