At a meeting with Zelenskyy, Erdogan announced the start of work on the revival of the Black Sea Grain Initiative

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington on the sidelines of the NATO summit.

According to the Turkish leader’s office, Erdogan and Zelenskyy discussed the situation at the frontline and, in particular, the export of Ukrainian agricultural products.

The Turkish president said that efforts had begun to revive the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

Erdogan added that his country is ready for any initiative, including mediation, to lay the groundwork for peace.

• The Black Sea Grain Initiative to create a corridor for the export of grain from three Ukrainian ports – Chornomorsk, Odesa, and Pivdennyi – was signed on July 22, 2022, in Istanbul with the participation of the UN, Ukraine, Turkey, and Russia for 120 days.
• It was extended several times, with Russia obstructing and slowing down the work in every possible way. In 2023, the initiative was finally blocked, as Moscow demanded the lifting of some sanctions. The last ship with Ukrainian food left the port of Odesa on July 16. On July 17, Russia unilaterally announced its withdrawal from the grain deal.
• Then in August, under an order from the Ukrainian Navy, Ukraine announced a “humanitarian corridor” in the Black Sea to free ships stuck in its ports after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and to circumvent a de facto blockade after Russia backed out of the agreement to allow Kyiv to export grain. In effect, a new grain corridor was created.

Tags: Ukraine, Turkey, Black Sea grain deal, Black Sea grain corridor