Turkish foreign minister, Ukrainian counterpart discuss Black Sea grain deal

By Necva Tastan

ISTANBUL (AA) - Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba on Saturday spoke over the phone and discussed steps that can be taken for the revival of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.

On July 17, Russia suspended its participation in the Black Sea grain deal, saying the Russian part of the agreement was not implemented. It sought the loosening of banking restrictions and the ability to ship its fertilizer before returning to the agreement.

The agreement, signed in July 2022 in Istanbul by Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine, was aimed at resuming grain exports from Ukrainian ports halted due to the Russia-Ukraine war, which began in February 2022.

Türkiye has said that Western countries should try to address Russia's complaints and that it hopes Russia returns to the deal.