The President of Ukraine stated that he was ready to meet his Russian counterpart

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on May 31 that in a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his desire to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

In an interview with Anadolu news agency, Foreign Minister Cavusoglu said: “During a phone call yesterday (May 30), President Zelensky expressed his wish to meet (his counterpart) Putin. Turkey continues to make efforts to participate in conflict resolution.”. Cavusoglu also noted that sanctions against Russia also affect Turkey.

On the same day, Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov said that the European Union (EU) is considering a plan to redirect Ukraine’s grain exports to the Bulgarian port of Varna and the Romanian port of Constanta if negotiations with Russia on opening export corridors in the Black Sea failed.

Speaking to the press, Prime Minister Petkov stated: “The first step will of course be to establish green corridors, creating conditions for safe exports through the Black Sea, but if this is not negotiated with the Russian side, we will I will discuss the option of transporting grain through the ports of Varna and Constanta, the two ports closest to the city of Odessa (Ukraine).”

Earlier on the same day, Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu announced that his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov would visit Ankara next week and discuss the opening of a security corridor in the Black Sea for grain exports from Ukraine. The announcement came a day after Russian President Putin had a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Erdogan, in which Putin stated that Moscow was ready to facilitate the transport of goods by sea, including grain from Ukrainian ports.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said on May 31 that the resolution of the global food crisis escalated by the conflict in Ukraine depends on the West and Kiev for closing seaports to Russian ships. disrupt logistics and financial chains. Foreign Minister Lavrov also called on Ukraine to clear mines and mines in its territorial waters to allow safe passage of ships through the Black Sea and the Sea of ​​Azov.

Russia and Ukraine produce about 30% of global grain production.

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