• Sunday, 07 July 2024

Ukraine close to finding solution to grain crisis, minister says

Ukraine close to finding solution to grain crisis, minister says
Madrid, 13 July 2022 (dpa/MIA) - Ukraine is close to finding a solution to the grain crisis triggered by the Russian invasion, according to Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. "We are two steps away from an agreement with Russia," Kuleba told the Spanish newspaper El País in an interview published on Wednesday. He assured his country was "ready to export grain to the international market." Representatives of Moscow, Kiev, Ankara and the United Nations are to meet in Turkey on Wednesday to find a solution to the dispute over grain exports from Ukraine. Russia is accused of blocking the export of Ukrainian grain, driving up prices on the market and triggering a food crisis, especially in poorer countries. "We are in the final phase [of negotiations] and everything now depends on Russia. If they really want it, grain exports will start soon," Kuleba told El País. Asked which reasons Russia might have for allowing grain exports after all, the minister said: "I see only one reason: They want to show the countries in Africa and Asia that they want to save them from [food] shortages." Although the foreign minister was optimistic, he admitted that not everything was certain yet. "It is true, Russia is not interested in Ukraine exporting. They know that if we export, we will also gain revenue from the international markets and become stronger as a result."