Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Thursday that his country was investigating allegations that Russia had stolen Ukrainian grain, while Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that the actions of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres regarding the Russian and Ukrainian grain export crisis were prolonging the crisis.

In early June, Ukraine's ambassador in Ankara said Turkish buyers were among those who received Russia-stolen grain from Ukraine, adding that he had requested Turkey's help in identifying and apprehending those responsible for the alleged shipments.

Russia has previously denied allegations that it stole Ukrainian grain.

Cavusoglu stressed in a joint press conference with British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss in Ankara that his country takes all allegations seriously and investigates them seriously, and that it will not allow stolen shipments to be brought into its territory.

The Turkish Foreign Minister stressed that he is communicating with Russia and Ukraine to solve the crisis of transporting grain from Ukrainian ports, and that there is a safe zone that will be formed in the Black Sea outside Ukrainian territorial waters to monitor, inspect and secure grain transport ships, and ensure that they are not transporting other goods such as weapons or others.

For her part, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said that the Ukrainian grain crisis must be addressed in the next month, otherwise the repercussions will be catastrophic, as she put it.

Truss said, in a press conference with her Turkish counterpart, that Russian President Vladimir Putin "is using hunger as a weapon in his war on Ukraine, and uses food security to put pressure on the war. He has seized 20 million tons of grain," adding that she is visiting Turkey in order to discuss how Ukrainian grain output with the support of the United Nations.

In turn, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar announced that there is a general consensus among the concerned parties on the establishment of an operations center in Istanbul state to supervise the evacuation of ships laden with grain from Ukrainian ports.

On the initiative of Minister Akar, a "hot line" was established earlier between Turkey, Russia and Ukraine to solve the crisis of the exit of cargo ships carrying grain from Ukrainian ports.


American welcome

In Washington, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Thursday that the United States welcomes Turkey's participation in mediating an agreement to get the grain out of Ukraine.

He added that the United States was working with allies and partners to get grain out of Ukraine, exports that had been disrupted by the Russian invasion.

"We certainly welcome Turkey's participation in trying to broker some sort of arrangement to allow grain to be shipped," he said, noting that there is a blockade of Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea.

In turn, the European Council said that Russia is responsible for the global food crisis, stressing its support for the UN efforts to resume the export of Ukrainian grain.


Russian accusations

In turn, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that the actions of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres regarding the Russian and Ukrainian grain export crisis would prolong the crisis.

Lavrov added, in an interview with the Belarusian National Radio and Television Corporation, that Guterres wants to agree first on Ukrainian and then Russian grain.

And he added, "The Secretary-General of the United Nations is prolonging the grain crisis with his actions, and making it impossible to send grain to countries that need it. This is a regrettable thing."

Many countries have been suffering from a shortage of wheat supplies, since the beginning of the Russian war on Ukraine, as the Russian naval blockade of Ukraine's ports on the Black Sea has stopped shipments of grain from the fourth largest exporter of wheat and corn in the world.

The United Nations has warned of a global food crisis due to a shortage of grain, and the West accuses Russia of obstructing the supply of Ukrainian grain to world markets.

On the other hand, Moscow categorically denies these accusations, and accuses the Kyiv authorities of laying mines in the Black Sea, impeding the movement of cargo ships there;

She explained that Ukraine deliberately burned grain stores in the port of Mariupol, in order to blame Moscow.