Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is visiting Turkey, the main topics of discussion are the export of grain and fertilizers through the Black Sea and the war in Ukraine.

In joint statements with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, Lavrov accused the West of wanting to nullify Russia and remove it from the international arena because of its independent policies. He even calculated that if Russia were defeated, China would be the next target for the West. He also argued that the crisis in Ukraine was caused by Washington’s desire to become a global hegemon.

As he characteristically put it, the West wants Russia’s strategic defeat on the battlefields, while the West’s destructive policy remains unchanged and unchanged towards Ukraine. “The West has arrogantly ignored our security concerns,” he added.

At the same time, he repeated that Moscow does not refuse to participate in negotiations with Ukraine on ending the war, noting, however, that negotiations can take place only if Russia’s security interests are observed.

In fact, Lavrov said that Russia would withdraw from the grain agreement if the West continued to put obstacles in the way of Russia.

Russia has repeatedly complained that it says the deal prevents it from exporting agricultural products. Ukraine has said it would like to expand the agreement to include more ports in the future.

“Ready to negotiate on the Crimea if our counteroffensive succeeds”

Yesterday, Deputy Head of the Presidential Office of Ukraine Andriy Sibiga noted in the Financial Times that Ukraine is ready to discuss the future of Crimea with Russia if its forces reach the borders of the peninsula.

“If we manage to achieve our strategic goals on the battlefield and when we are on the administrative border with Crimea, we are ready to open a diplomatic page to discuss this issue,” he said. However, he clarified that this “does not mean that we rule out the liberation of Crimea by our army.”

The British newspaper, commenting on the statement, speaks of “the most obvious manifestation of Ukraine’s interest in negotiations” since the peace talks broke down in April last year.

Sibikha’s remarks may bring relief to Western officials who are skeptical of Ukraine’s ability to retake the peninsula but are concerned that any attempt to retake it militarily could escalate Vladimir Putin’s war, possibly with nuclear weapons. They.

To date, Zelenskiy has ruled out peace talks until Russian troops leave all of Ukraine, including Crimea.

Türkiye and Russia agree that barriers to fertilizer exports must be lifted

Lavrov said he and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu discussed “failure” to meet the terms of the Black Sea grain deal.

He also said Russia could pull out of the deal if Western countries maintain what he called barriers to agricultural exports, which he said are getting tighter.

The agreement, reached last July, ensures the safe passage of grain and other products through Ukrainian ports despite a Russian naval blockade. Last month, Russia said it would extend the deal for another 60 days, even though the UN, Ukraine and Turkey are pushing for an extension of another 120 days.

“We attach great importance to the continuation of the agreement … not only for the export of Russian and Ukrainian grain and fertilizers, but also for ending the global food crisis,” Cavusoglu said in turn.

“We also agree that barriers to Russian grain and fertilizer exports must be lifted. It is necessary to resolve issues for the further extension of the grain deal,” he said.

Lavrov said the two foreign ministers discussed the grain deal, the potential creation of a gas hub in Turkey, and the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine.

Source: Reuters, AP, FT.