MOSCOW, Jan 20 Vladimir Zelensky said that during conversation with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, he discussed expanding the geography of the grain deal to «other ports of Ukraine.»
Zelensky held a telephone conversation with Erdogan on Friday, during which, among other things, the issue of Ukrainian grain exports was discussed.
«We considered the need to continue the «grain initiative» and the possibility of expanding its geography to other ports of Ukraine,» Zelensky wrote in his Telegram channel.
Representatives of Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the UN on July 22 last year signed a grain deal, which became an integral part of a package agreement providing for the unblocking of Russian exports of food and fertilizers. Moscow noted that this was not done. At the same time, there were assurances from the UN that restrictions on the export of food and fertilizers would be lifted. Russian Ambassador to Turkey Alexei Yerkhov noted that there was no progress in the implementation of the memorandum of understanding between the Russian Federation and the UN on the normalization of Russian agricultural exports. Russian manufacturers and suppliers continue to face blocked bank payments, exorbitant insurance rates and blocked access to ports, he said. The official representative of the UN Secretary General, Stephane Dujarric, reported that the UN continues to work on removing obstacles to the export of Russian food and fertilizers.