Russian Foreign Minister to discuss export of Ukrainian grain during talks in Turkey
The export of Ukrainian grain will be one of the main topics during the talks of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Turkey next week, said the press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov at a briefing.
Journalists asked the Kremlin spokesman to comment on media reports that in the coming days Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, and the UN plan to hold a meeting in Istanbul to discuss a roadmap for allowing ships carrying grain from Ukrainian ports.
"Next week, indeed, our foreign minister will be in Turkey, he has planned contacts there. Of course, in continuation of the telephone conversation, the topic of Ukrainian grain will be high on the agenda," Peskov said.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russia is ready to let ships with Ukrainian grain into the Mediterranean Sea even if the sanctions are not lifted, but it is necessary to clear the sea of mines.
In turn, Ukraine put forward its demands demanding that Russia completely withdraw its navy from Ukrainian territorial waters.
Ukrainian Ambassador to Turkey Vasyl Bondar said that Turkey was among the countries where grain stolen by Russians from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine arrives.
The ambassador told reporters that he had asked for assistance from the Turkish authorities and Interpol to organize an investigation into the transportation of stolen grain through Turkish waters.
Earlier, it was reported that Turkey will organize a command center in Istanbul under the auspices of the UN to create a "grain corridor" for the export of 20 tons of grain from Ukrainian ports.