Turkish President Recep Erdogan and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres plan to sign an agreement on the export of grain from Ukraine by sea on July 22.
This was reported by the office of the President of Turkiye.
According to Yeni Safak, the ode will be signed at 16:30 local time at Dolmabahçe Palace.
- 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. Meanwhile, Russia continues to steal Ukrainian grain, exporting it to Crimea, Syria and Turkiye, as evidenced 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.
- 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 issue. On the same day, July 11, Erdogan spoke with Zelenskyi. The conversation was devoted to the war and the problem of the grain export blockade.
- On July 13, quadrilateral negotiations were held in Turkey regarding the safe export of Ukrainian grain from ports. During this meeting, the parties agreed to create a coordination center in Istanbul. The delegations of Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, and the UN will meet again next week. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced a "big step forward".
- On July 14, the parties previously agreed on the unblocking of three Ukrainian ports. This was later confirmed by a member of the Ukrainian delegation at the negotiations with Russia. These are the ports of "Odesa", "Pivdenny" and "Chornomorsk".
- Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba suggested that Russia agreed to export grain from Ukraine in order to protect its reputation among the countries of Asia and Africa.