Grain deal should be resumed without fulfillment of Russia's additional conditions - ambassador

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Türkiye Vasyl Bodnar stated this in a commentary to Ukrinform on possible next steps towards the resumption of the grain corridor.

"Knowing the demands that Russia made before it withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, I would not have high expectations. We had an intensive dialog with the Turkish side during the visit of the Ukrainian Foreign Minister and the Chief Advisor to President Erdogan. Our signals and our position were heard and understood by the Turkish side. The results we see now (the meeting in Sochi - ed.). The publicly announced ones show that we are in the process of further harmonizing our positions. Most likely, there will now be feedback, which should continue the search for a certain compromise that can be the basis for the agreement's renewal. The renewal should take place without additional requirements or restrictions from Russia," Bodnar said.

He also noted that the work to restore the grain corridor should not stop the search for and development of alternative supply routes.

"The fact that four ships have already sailed through the humanitarian corridor shows that we can also develop mechanisms for the safe exit and entry of foreign ships from and into Ukrainian ports to export grain on our own and together with our partners. Our call to international partners is as follows: The Black Sea Grain Initiative is important. We need to continue working on its restoration. We should not forget about the importance of Ukrainian products on world markets. One should also remember that food prices will soon start to rise. This could harm the most vulnerable countries. It is important that our partners look openly at our proposals for alternative grain supply routes," the ambassador stated.

As Ukrinform reported, yesterday in Sochi, the presidents of Türkiye and Russia met. The main topic was the resumption of the Black Sea Grain Initiative. No agreement was reached on this issue.

The EU stated that the search for alternative ways to deliver Ukrainian grain continues.