Turkish foreign minister meets with Zelensky in Kyiv

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan arrived in Kyiv on Aug. 25 to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

They discussed the Ukrainian peace formula, the preparation for the Global Peace Summit, and the risks posed by Russia blocking the Black Sea grain corridor, according to Zelensky.

On Aug. 18, the German newspaper Bild reported, citing obtained official correspondence, that Russia, Turkey, and Qatar were preparing a new agreement on grain exports following Moscow's termination of the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

Based on the new deal, Russia would be supplying its grain, primarily to African countries, Qatar would sponsor the supplies, and Turkey would be in charge of organization issues, the outlet wrote.

Moscow unilaterally withdrew from the Black Sea grain deal on Aug. 17, causing spikes in wheat prices and fears about food security worldwide. The agreement previously allowed Ukraine to export its grain amid the ongoing Russian full-scale invasion.

Turkey, positioning itself as a mediator between the war's belligerents, played an important role in brokering the grain deal in July 2022. Since the agreement's collapse, Ankara has been in contact with both Kyiv and Moscow, discussing the options for its restoration.

Ukraine wants to use new Black Sea corridor to export grain

After a successful evacuation of a vessel along a new corridor on the western Black Sea coast, Ukraine is hoping to use the corridor to export grain, Denys Marchuk, deputy head of the Agrarian Council, said on national television, Reuters reported on Aug. 21.

The Kyiv IndependentAlexander Query