Ukraine Coordinating With Turkey To Restore Grain Export Deal, Zelenskiy Says

Ukraine and Turkey are in talks to revive the Black Sea grain agreement, as confirmed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy after speaking with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Zelenskiy emphasized the urgent need to unblock the grain corridor to prevent a looming global food crisis, particularly affecting 400 million people in Africa and Asia. Despite Russia withdrawing from the deal, Zelenskiy expressed Ukraine's willingness to continue grain exports with the support of the UN and Turkey. Erdogan plans to discuss extending the agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin and has urged Western countries to meet Russia's demands, including lifting SWIFT banking restrictions. The U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken looks to Turkey for leadership in resuming the initiative. The UN warned of dire global hunger consequences due to Russia's exit from the deal. Russia, while recognizing the deal's importance, insists on its demands being met, citing operational losses due to sanctions affecting payments and logistics.