President Erdoğan to talk with Putin, Zelensky this week

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said he is planning to talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the coming days to find a way to export Ukraine's grain to the world markets through the Black Sea.

"Talks are underway. Along with these talks, we have also arranged meetings with relevant persons. We will probably discuss what steps we have to take with Mr. Putin and Mr. Zelensky in the next week," Erdoğan said at a meeting with the youngsters in the eastern province of Van over the weekend.

President Erdoğan referred to ongoing efforts to export around 25 million tons of Ukraine grain to the world markets by creating a secure food corridor in the Black Sea in a bid to avoid a major global food crisis. Ukraine is one of largest wheat exporters, but the war has blocked the shipment of millions of tons of grain. The UN urges that action must be taken before the world's poorest nations, particularly in Africa, are faced with famine.

Turkey has around five million tons of wheat, barley, sunflower seed oil and does not have a big problem, Erdoğan said, "But, despite this, we want to increase these figures." Talks with Russia are ongoing, the president said, "We will not only be working to supply our needs but to transport goods to the third countries by re-exporting them."

Turkey and the UN have been working on a plan for the transport of the Ukrainian wheat to the world markets, Ankara hosted Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov last week to discuss the plans. Although there was no imminent breakthrough, talks will continue in the coming days to find a solution.

Turkey proposes to coordinate the process with the UN through a mechanism to be established in Istanbul and to help Ukraine...