Turkey allowed the cessation of food supplies through the grain corridor

Food supplies along the grain corridor could be cut off if no results are reached at the May 5 meeting in Istanbul. This statement was made by the official representative of the President of Turkey, Ibrahim Kalin, transmits CNN Turk.

“The Turkey-Russia-Ukraine meeting to be held in Istanbul on May 5 is of great importance for the future grain corridor. If the meeting does not bring a positive result, the shipment of grain may stop on May 18. In the absence of a positive solution, there could be serious problems with the global food supply,” he said.

Earlier today, May 4, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that on May 5 in Istanbul planned meeting of delegations from Turkey, Russia and Ukraine to discuss a grain deal. On April 30, he said ministerial talks would take place “in the coming days.”

After that, the official Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova informedthat a new round of consultations will be held in Moscow on May 5 on the implementation of the terms of the second part of the grain deal between Russia and the UN.

The grain deal was extended in mid-March until May 18. On April 25, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the situation around the agreement had reached a dead end. The minister pointed to the unwillingness to remove obstacles to the export of Russian fertilizers, despite their shortage, and also to connect Rosselkhozbank to SWIFT. The Kremlin also called the prospects for extending the agreement “not very good.”

The grain deal was concluded on July 22, 2022 by representatives of Turkey and the UN on the one hand, and representatives of Russia and Ukraine on the other. Separate agreements were signed with Moscow and Kiev: the first was for the export of Ukrainian grain from three ports, including Odessa, Yuzhny and Chernomorsk, the second was for assistance in the export of Russian grain and fertilizers. Moscow has repeatedly noted that the second part of the deal is not being implemented.