Black Sea grain deal talks to resume within days, Turkey says
Delegations from Turkey, Ukraine, the UN,
and Russia are planning to meet and discuss renewing the Black
Sea Grain Agreement on May 10-11 in Istanbul, Turkish Defense Ministry said
on May 9, as reported by news agency Anadolu.
As it currently stands, the deal, which allows Ukraine to export its agricultural produce from Odesa and nearby ports, is set to expire on May 18.
The negotiation program includes bilateral and multilateral meetings.
"Discussions on the effective and safe operation of the grain corridor will be included, as we will discuss the extension of the grain agreement that is of great importance to the countries in need," the ministry said.
Issues concerning the safe return of Turkish trade ships and their crews, which remain stuck in Ukrainian ports after the Russian invasion, will be discussed separately.
On May 5, the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul failed to reach an agreement on issuing permits to new ships to participate in the Black Sea grain initiative.
Recently, tensions have been rising between Russia and Ukraine over the grain agreement. On April 24, Russian Defense Ministry accused Ukraine of violating the agreement by attacking Sevastopol (in occupied Crimea) with naval drones, allegedly launched from the port of Odesa. Russia, which has routinely sought to undermine the agreement in the past, has warned of a potential threat to the deals’ extension beyond May 18.
In response, Ukrainian Military Intelligence spokesperson Andriy Yusov denied the accusations, saying that any Ukrainian operations in Crimea are focused on exclusively military targets.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has urged the UN to assist in the renewal of the grain agreement. The meeting in Istanbul presents an opportunity to resolve these issues and find a path forward.
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