When Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visits Ankara on Wednesday, the transport of Ukrainian grain will be one of the most important issues, said Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

Peskov was commenting on Turkish media reports that Turkey, Russia, Ukraine and the United Nations were planning a meeting in Istanbul to discuss the removal of grain from Ukrainian ports.

Turkish media reported that a shipping plan should be drawn up during Lavrov's visit.

Frederick Smith

Political correspondent for Russia and the CIS in Moscow.

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Rainer Herman

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According to the Bloomberg agency, a draft agreement is available.

Accordingly, the grain is to be shipped from an important Black Sea port.

Apparently Odessa is meant.

According to Bloomberg, Ukraine fears Moscow could use the plan, which envisages Turkish aid in demining and escorting grain ships, to launch an attack on the city.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday that Turkey could mediate in ending the Russian blockade of the ports.

"We are ready to export the grain and we are breaking the rhetoric of Russia that we allegedly do not want to export it and provoke a food crisis," said Zelenskyy.

But you need a "safety corridor".

The best guarantees are weapons.

"We are working on it and will receive anti-ship systems."

Putin speaks of "bluff"

The Ukrainian ambassador in Ankara has already sharply attacked Turkey: Turkey is buying grain stolen from Ukraine, he said.

According to Ukraine's Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Russia has so far exported half a million tons of grain it stole from Ukraine.

The Turkish government is looking for new sources of grain.

According to the Kremlin, in a telephone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday last week, Putin declared Russia's willingness to work with Turkey to support the transport from the Ukrainian ports.

But Moscow is linking the grain issue to an easing of the sanctions imposed during the Ukraine war.

Putin has now told state television that it is a "bluff" that Russia is not letting Ukrainian grain out of Ukrainian ports.

Putin also said that the ports in the Azov Sea of ​​Berdyansk and Mariupol "controlled by us" were demined and that he was ready to "ensure the smooth transport of grain, including Ukrainian grain" through these ports.

Against this background, the head of the African Union, Senegalese President Macky Sall, said he was "very satisfied" after meeting Putin in the Russian Black Sea city of Sochi last Friday.

Putin, Sall said, understands that the food crisis and sanctions are causing problems for struggling economies like those of African countries.

Negotiations are said to be under way to transport Ukrainian grain via Belarus to the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda in exchange for a relaxation of sanctions against Minsk;

so far without success.

Putin said the “easiest solution” is to ship Ukrainian grain through Belarus to the Baltics, “but for that you need to lift sanctions on Belarus.

But that is not our problem.”