Turkey is in talks with Russia and Ukraine to open a corridor across the Bosporus for grain exports from Ukraine. According to “ProAgro Group,” a senior Turkish official told Reuters on Thursday.
“Turkey is in talks with both Russia and Ukraine to export grain from Ukraine,” he said on condition of anonymity.
Separately, two other people familiar with the matter also confirmed information that Turkey intends to help export grain from Ukraine. One of them noted that despite Turkey’s NATO membership, Russia considers Turkey more “neutral.”
“Turkey is willing to contribute to a kind of monitoring of these exports from Odessa through the Black Sea because Turkey is traditionally very strong in the Black Sea, and it is willing to help,” a senior European diplomat commented Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Turkish vessels could patrol the routes of the food corridor as well as defuse mines planted on them. But there are many obstacles to any agreement, including Russian demands to lift some sanctions, drifting mines and the exorbitant cost of insuring the sea route, officials and analysts say.
