Grains deal seen vital for food crisis

ISTANBUL－A deal for the resumption of Ukraine's grain exports would mark the first step toward easing a global food crisis since the beginning of the Ukraine crisis, according to Ankara.

Ukraine and Russia are among the world's top food exporters, and Ukraine's ports, including the major hub of Odessa, have been blockaded by Russia's Black Sea fleet.

The halt to grain exports during the five-month conflict has caused prices to rise dramatically, and reopening Ukrainian ports may potentially avert famine in parts of the world.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Twitter on Thursday that a meeting on Friday involving officials from both Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul marks "the first step to solve the current food crisis".

Ankara would continue its efforts to resolve the conflict, Cavusoglu said. He also told state broadcaster TRT Haber that he did not see prospects for a ceasefire but that a deal on the grain exports could boost confidence between the two countries.

The Kremlin also said on Friday it was "very important" to unblock grain exports.

"It is very important to unblock supplies of fertilizers, foodstuffs and grain to the world markets,"Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Last week, the sides reached a tentative agreement on a United Nations plan that would enable Ukraine to export more than 20 million metric tons of desperately needed grain and other agricultural products that have been stuck in Ukraine's Black Sea ports.

It was due to be signed later on Friday in Istanbul in a ceremony attended by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish presidency said.

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and Ukraine's Infrastructure Minister, Oleksandr Kubrakov, were the expected signatories, according to their governments.

Ukraine's presidential aide confirmed on Friday that Kyiv will only sign a grain deal with the UN and Ankara, and the country would not sign any documents with Russia.

Critical need

Guterres first raised the critical need to get Ukraine's agricultural production and Russia's grain and fertilizer production back into world markets during meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv in late April. He proposed a package deal in early June amid fears that the conflict is endangering food supplies for many developing nations and could worsen hunger for up to 181 million people.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Ned Price said the US welcomes the agreement in principle.

In more good news for global markets, Russia on Thursday restored critical gas supplies to Europe through Germany via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline after 10 days of maintenance.

However, suspicion lingered that the continent will have an energy crisis this winter. European Union states have accused Russia of squeezing supplies in retaliation for Western sanctions over the conflict.

AGENCIES - XINHUA