Over 20 million tons of grain have been stuck in the port of Odessa
The Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres hailed today the progress made at the Istanbul meeting aimed at resuming Ukrainian grain exports blocked by Russia amid global concern about a food crisis.
More than 20 million tons of Ukrainian grain are stuck in silos in the port of Odessa, where dozens of ships remain at anchor, due to the Russian blockade.
“Today an important and essential step was taken, a step towards a comprehensive agreement,” said Mr Guterres. Ukraine and Russia have shown they can talk, but “for peace we still have a long way to go,” the UN secretary-general told reporters in New York.
The agreement in principle on the issue was announced earlier by the Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akarwho said that the details will be determined next week when the final text is signed.
The agreement will provide for the creation of “safe corridors” in the Black Sea for the transfer of grain from Ukrainian ports, as well as a coordination center for these operations with the participation of representatives from both the Russian and Ukrainian sides.
The Istanbul meeting was attended by military experts from Turkey, Russia and Ukraine, in the presence of representatives of the United Nations. The talks lasted about 3.5 hours.
View the news feed and get the latest news.
