Putin ready to facilitate grain exports from Ukraine: Kremlin sources

Moscow, June 1: President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia is ready to facilitate the unhindered export of grain from Ukrainian ports in coordination with Turkey, according to a Kremlin readout of talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

 

 

 

Russia and Ukraine together account for 29 percent of global wheat exports, mainly via the Black Sea, and for 80 percent of global exports of sunflower oil. Ukraine is also a major corn exporter.

 

 

 

In a call with Erdogan on Monday, Putin said that global food shortages were the result of “short-sighted” Western policies, adding that Russia was ready to export significant volumes of fertilizers and food in case sanctions against Moscow are lifted, according to the Kremlin readout of the talks. “During the discussion of the situation in Ukraine, emphasis was placed on ensuring safe navigation in the Black and Azov seas and eliminating the mine threat in their waters,” the Kremlin said. “Vladimir Putin noted the readiness of the Russian side to facilitate the unhindered sea transit of goods in coordination with Turkish partners. This also applies to the export of grain from Ukrainian ports.” It was not immediately clear which Ukrainian ports Putin was speaking of. Ukraine’s main grain export ports include Chornomorsk, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Kherson, and Yuzhny. Erdogan told Putin that peace needed to be established as soon as possible and that Turkey was ready to take on a role in an “observation mechanism” between Moscow, Kyiv, and the United Nations if an agreement is reached.

 

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Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine has roiled the grain market, with Chicago wheat futures hitting a record high in March amid supply concerns. Moscow is expecting a record crop this year, with exports to be shipped out of Russia’s open Black Sea ports, while Ukraine’s remain blockaded by the Russian navy. Dozens of container ships are blocked in Ukrainian ports, choking off exports of wheat, sunflower oil, and other foodstuffs, as well as fertilizer for crops.