Erdogan did not surrender Ukraine's interests in talks with Putin - Kuleba

Any negotiations on the resumption of the grain deal are carried out taking into account Ukraine's position - even if the country's representative does not attend them. The same applies to the conversation between Turkish and Russian presidents Recep Erdogan and Vladimir Putin. Ukraine's position is very simple: the Black Sea grain initiative should be resumed, but not at the expense of fulfilling Russia's whims and blackmail.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told reporters about this in a conversation with journalists. He recalled: the talks between Erdogan and Putin were preceded by a visit of the Turkish Foreign Minister to Kyiv - and only "then he left for Moscow".

"If someone meets without Ukraine - it does not mean that they talk without Ukraine. Ukraine is like the shadow of Hamlet's father: we are always present. And the Turkish foreign minister was in Kyiv, we had very substantive conversations. Then he left for Moscow. We absolutely understand the general logic of the discussion," the minister said.

At the same time, he emphasized that Ukraine's position on the grain corridor issue is "very simple". In particular, it stipulates:

• Resumption of the Black Sea grain initiative as such.
• Resumption of it "not at the expense of fulfilling the whims and blackmail of the Russian Federation."

"Because there were no legal and political grounds for the Russians to withdraw from the agreement. And if you make concessions to them now - they will come back, and in a month they will come out again and make new demands. This is classic blackmail," Kuleba explained.

• The development of alternative sea corridors is something Ukraine is already successfully engaged in. After all, "Russia cannot be trusted".

At the same time, the minister expressed his belief that Erdogan himself will inform Ukraine about the full results of the negotiations by calling President Volodymyr Zelensky. With whom the Turkish leader, according to Kuleba, has established "trusting relations".

"I am convinced that as a result of these talks, there will be contact between Erdogan and Zelensky. And they will discuss in detail what was discussed and what [Erdogan and Putin] agreed to - if they agreed at all," Kuleba summarized.

As reported by OBOZREVATEL, earlier Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held a private meeting with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. As a result of the meeting, he said that the UN has prepared a new proposal for Russia on a grain deal that could restore maritime exports of grain from Ukraine. Among other things, they propose to lift sanctions on a subsidiary of a Russian bank.

At the same time, Ukrainian farmers have faced serious problems after Russia pulled out of the grain deal and launched massive attacks on Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea. Alternative export routes turned out to be too expensive for many companies, and now agrarians do not know how to sell their products. This may lead to the fact that the grain harvest from such farms will be left to rot in warehouses or even in the fields.

Only verified information from us in Telegram-channel Obozrevatel and in Viber. Do not fall for fakes!