Oleg Davygora01:24, 07/08/232 minutes.1801Erdogan said that Turkey expects to extend the Black Sea Grain Initiative after July 17, when it expires.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during  a press conference with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine deserves NATO membership.”We were a country that made intensive efforts to end the war through negotiations based on international law.

We will provide all kinds of support for the reconstruction of Ukraine. Of course, Ukraine deserves NATO membership,” Erdogan said.He announced the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Turkey next month. He promised to discuss with him directly the exchange of prisoners and called it a priority issue.

For his part, Erdogan noted that Turkey made every possible effort to prevent Russia’s war against Ukraine, and after it began, it declared the unacceptability of this unjust aggression, contrary to international law. 

He expressed condolences in connection with the death of Ukrainians as a result of the war.Erdogan also said that Turkey expects to extend the Black Sea Grain Initiative after July 17, when it expires. According to him, as part of the grain deal, 33 million tons of food was sent to countries in need. He said he wants to extend the “grain agreement” for Ukraine by two years.

Zelensky’s meeting with Erdogan – details

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, who has been on official visits abroad in recent days, arrived in Turkey after Slovakia to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. 

The leaders’ meeting took place on the eve of the expiration of the “grain deal” to unblock the Ukrainian Black Sea ports, in which Ankara acted as an intermediary.Zelensky said the talks with Erdogan were “very important.” According to him, he and his Turkish counterpart discussed the protection and development of the Black Sea Grain Initiative and further efforts for food security.

(C)UNIAN 2023