🇷🇺 Russia and 🇺🇦 Ukraine signed separate agreements yesterday with 🇹🇷 Turkey and the 🇺🇳 United Nations clearing the way for exporting millions of tons of desperately needed Ukrainian grain — as well as Russian grain and fertilizer — ending a wartime standoff that had threatened food security around the globe.
The two representatives for President Putin and President Zelensky, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov, signed separate deals with U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar. The ceremony in Istanbul was witnessed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"Today, there is a beacon on the Black Sea," Guterres said. "A beacon of hope, a beacon of possibility, a beacon of relief in a world that needs it more than ever."
"You have overcome obstacles and put aside differences to pave the way for an initiative that will serve the common interests of all," he said, addressing the Russian and Ukrainian representatives.
#grainexport#ukrainerussia#zelensky#putin#digitaldiplomacy
🇷🇺🇹🇷#Russian Foreign Minister Sergei #Lavrov is in #Turkey for a two-day visit for talks on unblocking #grain exports from #Ukraine🇺🇦, which have been stalled by Moscow's offensive amid a UN warning of a worldwide food crisis due to the war.
In a joint press conference on Wednesday, Lavrov said the onus of restoring grain shipments in the Black Sea was on Ukraine and that Moscow needed to take no action since it had already made the necessary commitments and was "ready to guarantee the safe passage of vessels leaving Ukrainian ports and heading for [Turkish] waters."
Lavrov's Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu said that a UN plan to ease the global food crisis by restarting Ukrainian grain exports along a sea corridor was "reasonable", and requires more talks between Russia and Ukraine.
📷Reuters/Umit Bektas
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#warinUkraine#foodcrisis#unitednations#grainexport#russia