Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Friday that Turkey sees no other solution than a deal on Ukraine’s grain exports with Russia, dismissing a possible alternative route that the US would consider, AFP and Agerpres reported.

Turkish vessel Polarnet loaded with Ukrainian grain for exportPhoto: Press Office of the President of Ukraine / Zuma Press / Profimedia

“We know that other routes are being sought, but we do not see any alternative solution to the initial agreement because of the risks,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told reporters during a visit to Kyiv.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi, who received the head of Turkish diplomacy, called Friday’s meeting “important”. “We talked about the situation that arose as a result of Russia’s malicious attacks on grain exports from the Black Sea region,” he said on Telegram. Accusing Moscow of “calculated” attacks aimed at “causing crises in different parts of the world”, he also said he wanted to “step by step restore security” with the help of Turkey.

Moscow, which condemns obstacles to its own grain exports due to Western sanctions, has carried out several attacks on Ukrainian port infrastructure in Odesa and Danube ports in recent weeks.

Ukraine is looking for partners to increase exports, including in the Black Sea, where it recently provoked Moscow by shipping cargo under the flag of Hong Kong, which Russia did not attack despite its threats.

Kyiv has also carried out several attacks on Russian ships in the Black Sea, including an oil tanker, and in turn has threatened ships bound for Russian ports occupied by Moscow.

According to Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmigal, Ukrainian officials also discussed economic cooperation and “the future recovery of Ukraine” with the Turkish minister. “We look forward to completing all procedures for the entry into force of the free trade agreement as soon as possible,” he said on Telegram.

Turkey has long acted as a mediator between the two warring countries. Under his auspices and the auspices of the UN, an agreement was concluded on the export of Ukrainian grain, which Russia refused, but relations with Moscow worsened after Ankara handed over the commanders of the Azov regiment to Ukraine.

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