(Xinhua) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday said he thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the efforts to resume the Black Sea Grain Initiative, a key deal on Ukraine’s grain exports.
“I thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his active participation in preserving the grain deal, for his steadfast support of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” Zelensky tweeted.
Zelensky said he is also counting on Türkiye’s support in returning Ukraine’s prisoners of war and political prisoners.
Earlier in the day, Erdogan said Russia had agreed to resume the deal to allow the export of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea, according to the Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency.
Ukraine and Russia separately signed a document on July 22 with Türkiye and the United Nations in Istanbul to resume food and fertilizer shipments from Ukrainian seaports to international markets.
On Oct. 29, the Ukrainian government-run Ukrinform news agency reported that Russia had announced its withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative after accusing Ukraine of “terrorist attacks against ships of the Black Sea Fleet and civilian vessels involved in guaranteeing the security of the grain corridor.” RSS
