Turkey is hosting Russian and Ukrainian military delegations, along with UN diplomats, to discuss the resumption of the delivery of suspended shipments of grain through the Black Sea.
The quadripartite meeting, which is attended by Turkish officials, comes at a time when food prices around the world are rising due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine is one of the world’s largest exporters of wheat and other grains.
But Russian warships and mines laid by Kyiv in the Black Sea brought its exports to a halt.
Turkey, a NATO member, is leading the effort to resume grain supplies.
Turkish officials say 20 merchant ships in the Black Sea can be quickly loaded with Ukrainian grain. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Pyotr Ilyichev stressed that his country’s “conditions” include “the possibility of controlling the ship and inspecting it to avoid arms smuggling, and Kyiv has pledged not to engage in provocations.”
The Russian representative said the UN team would act as an “observer” of the talks.
For his part, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said that Kyiv “supports the resolution of the issue of lifting the embargo on Ukrainian grain under UN control”, thanking the Secretary General for “active efforts to find a solution.” .”
In addition, Brazil intends to buy the maximum amount of diesel fuel from Russia, as its Foreign Minister Carlos Alberto Franco Franca said, despite the sanctions imposed on Moscow in connection with its invasion of Ukraine.
This statement came after Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro announced an “almost” agreement with Russia on this issue.
Brazil, the world’s agricultural powerhouse, imports more than 80 percent of fertilizers, and more than 20 percent of these imported fertilizers come from Russia.
