Türkiye unveils Kiev proposal to resume wheat deal without Moscow

The Turkish government has received an appeal from Kiev to resume the wheat deal without Russia, is coordinating the issue with the UN, but no decision has been made. A source familiar with the situation told Sputnik. Black Sea Wheat Initiative. The Black Sea Initiative, also known as the Wheat Agreement, ceased to function today July 18, Russia's Foreign Ministry said Moscow notified the Ukrainian side, Turkey and the UN . Volodymyr Zelensky said Kiev hoped to continue grain deliveries across the Black Sea without Russia's participation. Kiev is awaiting official confirmation of readiness from the United Nations and Turkey, Zelensky's press secretary Sergey Nikiforov said.

"Yes, such an appeal has been received (from Kiev), we have also been contacted by the UN. There is coordination with them, but no decisions have been made at the moment. Yesterday the President (of Turkey Tayyip Erdogan) announced upcoming talks with his Russian counterpart (Vladimir Putin), so all decisions in this matter will be made by the President based on the talks," the agency's interlocutor said. The Black Sea Initiative, which was signed by representatives of Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the UN on July 22, 2022, provided for the export of Ukrainian grain and food, as well as fertilizers via the Black Sea from three ports, including Odessa. The Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul was in charge of coordinating the movement of the ships. Russian President Vladimir Putin has stressed that the West imports most of the Ukrainian grain itself, without redirecting it to African countries in need.

The grain initiative was an integral part of the package deal. The second part – a three-year Russia-UN memorandum – was to unfreeze Russian food and fertilizer exports, with key tasks including reconnecting Rosselkhozbank to SWIFT, resuming deliveries of agricultural machinery, spare parts and assistance , the restoration of the Togliatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline and a number of other measures. As noted by Moscow, this part of the package has not been implemented.