Talks on the functioning of the 'grain initiative' end in Istanbul - no agreement on unblocking

On May 10-11, quadripartite talks between Turkey, Ukraine, the Russian Federation and the United Nations took place in Istanbul. The talks focused on the Black Sea Grain Initiative and the return of ships and crews that were forced to stay in Ukraine - the Ministry of National Defence of Turkey.

The parties agreed to coordinate the return of Turkish merchant ships and their crews stuck in Ukrainian ports. The operation should become a model for the evacuation of ships from other countries that remain in Ukrainian ports.

Oleksandr Kubrakov, Deputy Prime Minister for Recovery and Minister of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development, said that further consultations on the continuation of the initiative would continue online.

"The Ukrainian delegation once again stressed that the Grain Initiative should be extended for a longer period and expanded. This will give predictability and confidence to both the global and Ukrainian markets. But, first of all, it is necessary to resume the registration of the incoming fleet and inspections without artificial delays and in accordance with the procedures of the Joint Coordination Centre (JCC)," the Minister wrote.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin said that "if a consensus is not reached by May 18, the 'grain initiative' will cease to exist".