Turkish, Ukrainian defense chiefs discuss Ukraine grain shipments

ANKARA

Türkiye's defense chief on Saturday discussed the latest developments on Ukrainian grain exports with the minister of defense of that country.

During Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar's phone call with Oleksii Reznikov, he also spoke to Ukraine's Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov, according to a statement from Turkish Defense Ministry.

The ministers hailed the continued acceleration of grain shipments and the cooperative work carried out at the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul.

On July 22, Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed a deal in Istanbul to reopen three Ukrainian ports for exports of Ukraine grain, which had been stuck for months due to the Russia-Ukraine war, now in its sixth month.

To oversee Ukrainian grain exports, the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul was officially launched on July 27, comprising representatives from the three countries and the UN to enable the safe transportation by merchant ships of commercial foodstuffs and fertilizers.

So far, four ships, carrying over 84,500 tons of grain, departed Ukraine ports under the historic deal to unblock Ukraine's grain exports that many believe is helping ease the global food crisis.