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- War in Ukraine
- Ukraine targets grain exports breakthrough at four-way talks
Ukraine targets grain exports breakthrough at four-way talks
'We are two steps from a deal with Russia. We are in the final phase, and now everything depends on Russia'
Ukraine announced on Wednesday that an agreement to resume grain exports blocked by Russia appeared close.
This comes as four-way talks began in Turkey, raising hopes of an end to a standoff that exposed millions to the risk of starvation.
Kyiv believed a deal was just "two steps away," Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba was quoted as saying, though other participants seemed less optimistic.
Several Ukrainian cities reported heavy Russian shelling, and Kuleba was downbeat on prospects for peace.
More than 20 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain are stuck in silos at the Black Sea port of Odesa, and dozens of ships have been stranded due to Russia's blockade.
Kuleba told Spanish newspaper El Pais ahead of their resumption: "We are two steps away from a deal with Russia. We are in the final phase, and now everything depends on Russia."
Both Ukraine and Russia are major global wheat suppliers. Russia is also a prominent fertilizer exporter and Ukraine a significant producer of corn and sunflower oil, so clinching a deal to unblock exports is seen as vital for food security, notably among developing nations, and for stabilizing markets.
Ukraine and the West have accused Russia of exacerbating a global food crisis by complicating attempts to supply poorer nations with grain and of fueling inflation.