Turkey wants the safe-transit deal for Ukrainian grain exports from Black Sea ports extended for three months instead of two, said President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“I’m hopeful for an extension,” Erdogan said in Istanbul early Saturday in a joint appearance with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. The pair discussed the grain deal and other matters late Friday after Ukraine’s leader arrived from Slovakia.
The shipping deal is set to expire on July 17. It’s been a vital lifeline for Ukraine’s agricultural exports that’s seen millions of tons of grains and other commodities exported over the past 11 months.
Turkey brokered the original deal along with the United Nations. Its termination - which Russia has repeatedly threatened - may lift global food prices given Ukraine’s importance as an exporter of grains.
Russia increased its criticism of the agreement during the previous extension period, saying the pact didn’t deliver sufficient food to poor African nations. Moscow recently said it sees “no grounds for further continuation” of the deal.
Erdogan also said Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Turkey in August.
“The whole world is interested in the functioning of the grain corridor,” Zelenskiy said, adding that the continuation of the agreement shouldn’t depend on the “wishes of one state” or “on the mood with which the president of the Russian Federation woke up.”
NATO Path
Zelenskiy’s visit to Turkey was a part of the broader diplomatic tour of NATO countries before the alliance’s summit next week, as he pursues a path for Ukraine into the military alliance.
“Undoubtedly, Ukraine deserves NATO membership,” Erdogan said.
US President Joe Biden has set a less enthusiastic tone, saying he doesn’t think Ukraine is ready for membership in NATO. “A vote on Ukraine by NATO members would be premature,” Biden told CNN.
The NATO summit will be held in Lithuanian capital Vilnius in July 11-12. A possible agreement on Sweden’s membership will be a crucial part of the talks between Turkey and the rest of NATO.
Russia’s invasion will also be a focal point of NATO talks as it hits the 500-day mark on Saturday.