Zelenskyy goes to Erdogan in Turkey to negotiate the extension of the “grain deal”

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy will arrive in Turkey to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss the extension of the grain deal.

The two leaders will discuss the extension of the grain deal, which expires on July 18. Erdogan is expected to receive Zelenskiy in Istanbul on Friday, according to officials who requested anonymity.

According to Turkish daily Sabah, Zelenskyy is expected in Turkey on July 7. The Ukrainian president is currently on a visit to Bulgaria.

There is no further information on the likely meeting between the leaders of Ukraine and Turkey.

As a reminder, the work of the grain corridor has been practically blocked by the Russian side in recent months. Even before the last extension of the agreement, which was made in May, Russia threatened to withdraw from the agreements and demanded that a number of its conditions be met. These included unblocking foreign assets and accounts of Russian companies related to food and fertilizers, as well as resuming the supply of agricultural machinery, spare parts, and service. In addition, Russia wanted to restore the Togliatti-Odesa ammonia pipeline and reconnect Rosselkhozbank to the SWIFT system.

However, Russia has recently reiterated its plans to shut down the corridor after this deadline.

For his part, Taras Vysotsky, Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, spoke about an alternative plan to continue exporting agricultural products if Russia withdraws from the agreements. The idea was to expand the throughput capacity of the Danube region and increase transshipment capabilities there. In addition, additional border crossing points and dry ports on the western border with Poland and Romania are being commissioned.

Tags: Ukraine, Turkey, Black Sea grain corridor