A meeting will be held in Istanbul on unblocking the export of Ukrainian grain. Among the participants of the delegation of Ukraine and Russia

On Wednesday, July 13, a meeting of the military delegations of Türkiye, Russia, Ukraine and UN representatives will be held in Istanbul, where they will discuss unblocking the export of Ukrainian grain.

This is reported by Anadolu.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that the quadrilateral meeting was the result of the visits of the Turkish delegation to Moscow and Kyiv. According to him, the visits gave positive results.

The head of the Presidentʼs Office Andriy Yermak emphasized that the unblocking of Ukrainian ports is one of the key components of global food security.

"We believe that the issue of unblocking the export of Ukrainian grain should be resolved under the auspices of the UN. Secretary-General António Guterres is involved in this process, we are grateful to him for this [...]. A round of negotiations on navigation in the Black Sea will be held tomorrow in Istanbul. A meeting of Ukrainian and Turkish representatives is planned there. After that, there will be an extended meeting between Ukraine, Türkiye, the UN, and the Russian Federation, at which the issue of the functioning of sea corridors for the export of grain should be discussed. For Ukraine, the issue of security is key," Yermak said.

The day before, Turkish President Recep Erdogan had a telephone conversation with Putin. He declared that the time had come for a "grain corridor". The Russian Federation stated that they would "continue the exchange of views" on this matter. On the same day, July 11, Erdogan spoke with Zelensky. The conversation was devoted to the war and the problem of the grain export blockade.

• Since the beginning of the invasion, Russian troops have been blocking exports from Ukrainian ports, as a result of which products have to be exported by rail and road. Western partners offered to build granaries near the border, and negotiate with Russia, but they are not ready for military unblocking of roads. In the meantime, Russia continues to steal Ukrainian grain, exporting it to Crimea, Syria, and Türkiye, as indicated by numerous journalistic investigations.
• On July 5, Erdogan announced intensified negotiations on unblocking grain exports from Ukraine through the Black Sea. He expects progress within ten days. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, warned against hoping for a quick solution to the problem, as the negotiations are focused on the routes and safety of ships.