Ukraine proposes Turkey open grain corridor without Russia
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Ukraine has submitted an official proposal to Turkey to restore a corridor in the Black Sea for Ukrainian grain exports without Russia's participation, Ukrainian Ambassador to Turkey Vasyl Bodnar said on Sept. 7.
The idea is "rational" because cargo ships already travel through Romanian, Bulgarian, and Turkish territorial waters of the Black Sea, the ambassador explained.
Since Moscow refused to extend the Black Sea Grain Initiative in July, the Ukrainian navy set up a temporary corridor to protect merchant ships leaving Ukraine's waters.
At least four ships have passed through the corridor since it was announced on Aug. 10.
Bodnar said that Turkey has not yet responded to the request, but expects Ankara and Kyiv to communicate on the issue in the coming days.
Turkey played an important role in brokering the original deal in July 2022.
Since Russia withdrew from the deal, Turkey has continued to position itself as a mediator between the two countries.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi on Sept. 4 for talks on restoring the initiative.
While Erdogan told the press that he hopes a solution will be reached soon, and that a new package of proposals from the UN has led to "significant progress," Putin said Russia won't resume the deal without the West decreasing sanctions.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called the demand "blackmail," and Bodnar agreed that lifting sanctions would be "absolutely the wrong path."
Since July 2023, the Russian military started a campaign of strikes on Ukrainian port infrastructure and declared that all vessels sailing to Ukrainian ports would be considered military targets.
