Russia and Ukraine are said to be close to an agreement on food shipments

Moscow and Kiev may be just days away from finalizing a deal to allow millions of tons of Ukrainian grain to be exported through the Black Sea, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said at a news conference Tuesday. On the same day, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced after a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Britain would provide Ukraine with additional military aid, including 10 self-propelled guns and patrol missiles.

“Negotiations are under way so that these grains, sunflower oil, everything can reach the world,” Erdogan said at a joint press conference with visiting Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi in Ankara, Turkey. “In a week or 10 days, we will intensify negotiations and try to reach a result,” he said.

Ukraine is a world food exporter in peacetime, but its Black Sea ports have been blockaded since The Russian invasion, preventing shipments of crops to Egypt, Yemen and other countries in desperate need. Russia has also attacked Ukrainian granaries and been accused of stealing Ukrainian grain stocks. Turkey is trying to mediate between Russia and Ukraine. Kiev wants Turkey to provide security for ships carrying food through the Black Sea.

Erdogan stressed the importance of safe passage for commercial shipping of Ukrainian grain because, while Turkey has not yet suffered a food shortage, Africa has faced “a huge problem.” Mr Draghi said Turkey had a “central role” in the plan. He also noted that U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres outlined the plan at last week’s GROUP of Seven summit.

“The role is to ensure the safety of the [grain] ships and to ensure that they do not carry weapons,” Mr Draghi said. He added that the plan was “very encouraging” as it does not require demining at ports, potential routes have been identified and working groups have been set up. Mr. Draghi said the reason the plan had not yet been implemented was a lack of “final consent from the Kremlin.”

Mr Draghi added that the deal under consideration also had “very high strategic value” because it could pave the way for a negotiated peace. “This is the first step towards an agreement in the context of trying to achieve peace, for a goal that must involve all of us because it affects the lives of millions of people in the poorest countries,” he said.
Also on the same day, Johnson spoke with Zelensky and briefed him on discussions on Ukraine on the sidelines of last week’s G7 and NATO summits. Downing Street said: “President Zelensky set out the current situation in Ukraine and recent developments in Russia, while the Prime Minister set out the latest UK military hardware, including 10 self-propelled artillery systems and patrol missiles, which will arrive in the coming days and weeks. The prime minister said the world was behind Ukraine and he was confident That President Zelensky’s forces would be able to take back territory recently seized by Putin’s forces.”

“On food, the leaders agreed on the importance of getting food out of Ukraine as soon as possible,” the statement said. “The Prime Minister said the UK continues to work closely with partners on the next steps and stands ready to help in any way possible. The two leaders also discussed the situation of British-born Ukrainian fighters captured by Russian forces in recent weeks.”

Zelensky tweeted, “I spoke with Johnson. Thank you for your unwavering support for Ukraine — the recent decision to provide £1 billion in security assistance and £100 million today. Talked about food security for the world and security for Ukraine. Thank you for agreeing to host the rugby Union Championship in 2023.”