Turkey is pushing for a new agreement between Russia and Ukraine concerning grain exports via the Black Sea, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told journalists in Istanbul on Monday.
Fidan said that Turkey was in contact with both Kiev and Moscow on this matter. “We are working on a further agreement, similar to the grain deal,” the minister explained.
Such an agreement had already been in place after the war began in 2022. However, it expired in 2023.
Fidan also called on the warring parties to exercise restraint in light of drone attacks on ships in the Black Sea. He warned that the attacks posed a threat not only to security in the Black Sea, but also to global food security.
Putin and Erdoğan discuss the situation in the Black Sea
Ukraine and Russia are among the world’s leading wheat exporters. If their supplies are lost to the global market, there are fears not only of higher prices but also of shortages or even famine, for example in African countries.
Due to the mutual attacks in the Black Sea, there are currently hardly any grain carriers sailing there.
The situation regarding Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine – and in particular the naval conflict in the Black Sea – will also be on the agenda this Tuesday at a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Kyrgyzstan.
While Ukraine favours a new ceasefire in the Black Sea, Russia has recently rejected this. Moscow wants to prevent Kiev from using billions in expected revenue from grain exports to buy even more weapons for the war.
Repeated drone attacks on ships
In the past, Turkey and the UN had negotiated an agreement with Russia and Ukraine on the shipment of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea. Thanks to the agreement, Ukraine was temporarily able to export grain by sea despite Russia’s war of aggression.
Tensions in the Black Sea escalated recently. On Saturday, Turkey summoned the Ukrainian ambassador to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and protested against attacks on two Turkish ships in the Black Sea on 26 and 27 August.
On Sunday, according to the DHA news agency, a tanker flying the Hong Kong flag ran aground off the Turkish Black Sea province of Samsun following a drone attack.
The report stated that the ship had already been attacked last Wednesday and, after the crew had been evacuated to Russia, had been drifting unmanned at sea for days.