Ukraine and Russia will sign an agreement on Friday to allow grain exports through the Black Seaannounced the Turkish presidency this Thursday.
“The ceremony for the signing of the agreement on the transport of grains, which will be attended by the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, will take place [el viernes] with the participation of Ukraine and Russia,” the Turkish president’s office said.
Antonio Guterres will travel to Istanbul later on Thursday, said the deputy spokesman for the United Nations, Farhan Haq, who clarified that the extensive compromise that could allow Ukrainian grain shipments by sea “has not yet been finalized”.
Cereal exports blocked in Ukraine will resume from three Black Sea ports in the event of a negotiated agreement between kyiv and Moscowannounced on Thursday a member of the Ukrainian delegation.
“Exports would take place from three ports: Odessa, Pivdenny and Chornomorsk. We hope in the future to extend deliveries from other places,” Ukrainian deputy Rustem Umerov told reporters.
According to him, the security of the convoys will be carried out by a United Nations surveillance group based in Istanbul, and Russian ships will not be able to enter Ukrainian waters if this agreement is confirmed.
“We do not trust them, even if they sign an agreement with the UN”, he assured.
Up to 25 million tons of grain are blocked in Ukrainian ports, threatened by the Russian fleet and the sea mines that kyiv scattered to prevent a naval assault on Moscow.
Ankara said Thursday that it expects a deal on Ukrainian grain exports “in the next few days,” if Westerners respond to Russia’s demands to lift some of the restrictions on its own grain exports.
“We will facilitate the export of grain from Ukraine, but proceeding from the fact that all restrictions with possible deliveries for the export of Russian grain will be lifted”, Putin told reporters after a meeting in Tehran with his counterparts from Iran and Turkey.
Following talks with Erdogan and Iran’s president, Putin told reporters any deal depended on the West’s willingness to give up some ground.
“As you know, the Americans have essentially lifted restrictions on the supply of Russian fertilizers to world markets”, Putin said. “If you sincerely want to improve the situation on the international food markets, I hope the same will happen with the supply of Russian grain for export”.
The resumption of grain exports from Ukraine is a “matter of life or death” and the European Union is “hopeful” that an agreement will be reached this week to unblock the port of Odessa, said the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, on Monday.
“The lives of tens of thousands of people depend on this agreement” which is negotiated between Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations, Borrell explained upon arriving in Brussels for a meeting of EU foreign ministers devoted to the war in Ukraine.
(With information from AFP and Reuters)
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Source-www.infobae.com