Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Ankara was serious about reports of Russian abduction of Ukrainian grain and would not allow its import to its territory.
He stated this at a press conference with British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, writes Anadolu.
Cavusoglu said that the Turkish side has not yet revealed the facts of Russian imports of Ukrainian grain into his country.
"We take every statement seriously and investigate it. Our investigation showed that the country of origin of ships and goods was Russia, "Cavusoglu said.
He said that Turkey was in favor of a "grain corridor", but the representatives of Russia, Ukraine and the United Nations should agree on it in Istanbul. The date of the meeting has not been set yet.
Truss, in turn, said that the problem of food exports from Ukraine should be resolved immediately — within the next month. She stressed that Ukrainian ports must be protected and commercial vessels must be guaranteed a safe corridor.
- The Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba stated that Ukraine is ready to create the necessary conditions for the resumption of exports from the port of Odessa.
- President Volodymyr Zelensky believes that weapons are the best guarantee of security for Ukrainian ports and unblocking grain exports.
- Turkey and Russia have agreed on a plan to safely export Ukrainian grain and unblock the port in Odesa. However, Ukraine still doubts whether to agree to it.
- On June 14, US President Joe Biden said that the United States and European allies were working to remove the blocked Ukrainian grain by rail. To do this, they plan to build granaries near the border with Ukraine.
- The day before, Turkish media reported that representatives of Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, and the United Nations were to meet in Istanbul next week to discuss the issue of unblocking Ukrainian grain exports. Also according to Milliyet, Turkey and Russia have agreed to negotiate with Ukraine on grain exports.