According to Turkey’s Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, Ukrainian, Russian, Turkish, and United Nations officials have been in talks to extend the Black Sea grain pact.
On Thursday, the four parties discussed UN suggestions to extend the accord, which Russia has threatened to quit on May 18 due to hurdles to food and fertilizer imports.
“(The parties) are approaching an agreement on extending the period of the grain agreement,” Akar said in a statement released by the military ministry on Friday.
After two days of talks in Istanbul, it seemed that Russia had not consented to an extension.
In July of last year, the United Nations and Turkey forged the Black Sea agreement in response to a global food crisis aggravated by Moscow’s war in Ukraine. The United Nations has also vowed to help Moscow facilitate agricultural imports.
There are no plans to prolong the agreement at this time, but the Kremlin indicated early Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin may meet with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on short notice if required.
Akar said that he was notified of an agreement to repatriate six Turkish commercial ships currently moored in Ukrainian ports to Turkey.
