Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will travel to Istanbul this Friday to be met by his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish media reported Thursday.
According to the pro-government daily Sabah, the two leaders will discuss, among other things, the agreement on Ukrainian grain exports, signed in July 2022 in Istanbul with the support of the United Nations and Turkey.
The current extension of the agreement, also signed by Russia, expires on July 17.
Moscow has said in recent days that it sees “no reason” to extend the deal.
Russia has challenged the obstacles to another agreement signed last July, also under the auspices of the UN and Turkey, on fertilizer and food exports, claiming its agricultural sector is being harmed by sanctions imposed by the West.
On Wednesday, the UN assured that they will continue their efforts to ensure that Russia agrees to extend the agreement that will allow the export of Ukraine’s grains to international markets, though they acknowledge there are “problems to be resolved” .
This trip from Zelensky to Istanbul comes four days before the start of the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, where the war in Ukraine is being discussed. Turkey is one of the 31 states that make up the Atlantic Alliance.
The Ukrainian president arrived in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Thursday for a one-day official visit to discuss Kiev’s entry into the Atlantic Alliance.
Source: DN
