With the Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky The President of Turkey will hold a meeting in Lviv today Tayyip Erdogan and g.k. UN Antonio Guterreswho will visit Odessa tomorrow. This is Erdogan’s first visit to Ukraineas the Politico magazine notes in its article, and over the past month, the Turkish president met with Vladimir Putin twice.

Despite Ankara’s claims that it is acting as a bona fide broker between Kyiv and Moscow, the West is suspicious of the growing Relations between Turkey and Russia. Trade between the two countries has strengthened significantly in recent months, with Turkish Transport Minister Adil Karacmailoglu pushing for more car exports to Russia lately.

Today’s discussion is expected to focus on the risks faced by its facilities. Zaporozhye, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. Earlier this week, Zelenskiy warned that the Ukrainian military would attack Russian forces that were using the power plant as a stronghold. On Tuesday, Zelenskiy contacted his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron to secure the withdrawal of Russian troops from Zaporozhye and allow UN experts to inspect the plant.

Shipment of grain

Despite Ankara’s claims that it is acting as a bona fide broker, the West is suspicious of its growing relationship with Russia.

At the same time, the shipment of Ukrainian grain from the Black Sea ports continues. However, the process faces difficulties. After all, the first shipments were not sent to countries facing the specter of famine. Ukrainian corn was exported to the UK and Ireland, while Italy received shipments of sunflower seeds and soybeans. Ukrainian officials attribute this to the fact that batches of corn remained in silos for months, which made its immediate shipment mandatory. At the same time, corn is an important animal feed that can provide a quick solution to looming food shortages. Countries on the brink of starvation, such as Somalia, Yemen and South Sudan, could benefit from an agreement to resume grain exports from Ukrainian ports if the UN World Food Program (WFP) purchases significant volumes of Ukrainian grain in time.

However, it remains doubtful whether Turkish ambitions to use the grain deal as a template for a future Russia-Ukraine peace deal are realistic. Earlier this month, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted: “We hope the grain deal will lead to a ceasefire and lasting peace.” c.g. Guterres, a UN spokesman, wrote at the time: “The agreement is the path that shows us the way to peace.”

However, experts object to the Turkish optimism described by Politico. “The limited trade permitted by Moscow did not end the carnage. For Ukraine, the agreement concerns only grain and nothing else,” says Ukrainian analyst and former diplomat Evgenia Gaber. It also remains unclear whether Turkish intermediation will allow grain to be exported unimpeded, as insurance companies remain reluctant to insure general cargo ships leaving Ukrainian ports, placing an unbearable burden on them.