Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday he had a phone conversation with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg about “unblocking” the Black Sea grain corridor, just days after the end of a crucial deal with Russia on the issue.
For the Ukrainian president, the “current situation in the Black Sea” poses risks to global food security.
UN concerns
On Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he was trying to convince his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to relaunch the deal on the export of Ukrainian grains through the Black Sea, which expired late Monday.
The Turkish head of state calls on “Western countries to follow up on the expectations of Mr. Putin” who opposed the extension of the agreement signed in July 2022 in Istanbul with Ukraine under the aegis of Turkey and the United Nations.
Russia has assured that it is willing to return to the agreement if its requests are met “in their entirety”. Moscow claims in particular that its own deliveries of agricultural products and fertilizers are hampered by Western sanctions.
The UN expressed its concern on Thursday by denouncing “the negative effect on world prices of wheat and corn, which is harming everyone, especially the vulnerable populations of the countries of the South.”
Source: BFM TV
