Turkiye Talks about Opening Grain Corridors

There is progress in talks to unblock Ukrainian ports for grain exports, Turkey says. Turkey is in talks with Ukraine, the UN and Russia to open grain corridors in the Black Sea. The Minister of National Defense of Turkey Hulusi Akar told the Anadolu newspaper on Tuesday, June 7, about the ongoing discussions. “We are making efforts to conclude this as soon as possible. We are coordinating closely with Russia and Ukraine, holding discussions with the UN. Certain progress has been made. At the same time, there are technical points that remain the subject of discussions. In particular: how will the corridor function? How and who will clear the ports from mines? Which ships will be escorted by bulk carriers?” said the Turkish Minister. According to him, the process of negotiations to unblock the Ukrainian agro-export is progressing. Akar specified that the negotiations are slowed down due to lack of trust between the parties. “The main problem is trust. Each side wants guarantees on certain issues. We, for our part, are trying to ensure that climate of trust,” he concluded. At the same time, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today that so far there are no clear agreements on the Ukrainian grain export. “There are statements by President Putin, who said that in this case Ukraine should clear the ports of mines, which would allow vessels, that should be appropriately checked by our military to ensure they are not carrying weapons, to enter the port, be loaded with grain and then if necessary - even with our help - to proceed towards international waters,” Peskov said. He added that this plan causes “distrust from Ukrainian representatives.” “Putin said that the Russian side will not use these demined corridors, yet to be created, for any offensive actions against seaside cities,” Peskov said. As reported, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that he did not trust Putin’s promises on grain corridors. Корреспондент