There are still "one or two issues to be clarified" in negotiations with the Russian side, Kalin added. The ships are loaded and ready to go, but "good logistical coordination" is required.
According to Ankara, the Turkish Defense Minister and the Ukrainian Ministries of Defense and Infrastructure also spoke about resuming grain exports. The Turkish Ministry of Defense said in a statement published on Sunday that it was planned to begin transport "soon".
On July 22, Ukraine and Russia agreed on a grain export agreement brokered by Turkey and the United Nations. In it, Ukraine and Russia undertake to respect safe corridors for cargo ships on the Black Sea and to refrain from military activities there.
The coordination center for grain exports provided for in the agreement was opened in Istanbul last Wednesday. There, representatives of Ukraine and Russia as well as Turkey and the United Nations will in future jointly monitor the safe passage of Ukrainian cargo ships on the defined routes. The ships are also to be inspected in Istanbul upon arrival and departure to prevent clandestine arms shipments.
Up to 25 million tons of grain have been blocked in the Ukrainian ports since the end of February because of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. Ukraine is one of the world's largest exporters of wheat and other grains. The export blockade hits poorer countries in particular, which are heavily dependent on imports from Russia and Ukraine.
The grain deal is the first agreement between the two countries since Russia's war of aggression began on February 24. It is intended to alleviate the global food crisis. Since the war began, food prices had skyrocketed in some of the world's poorest countries.
