Source : Perth Now news
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says he has held a “detailed and constructive” call with US President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, and that the sides are working to finalise dates for their visit to Ukraine aimed at advancing peace efforts.
“I also informed them about the situation on the battlefield, where Russia’s gains have been sparse and at the cost of huge losses, and about the strikes,” he said in a post on Telegram.
“We shall see what the US president’s representatives manage to achieve. September could bring about a lot of changes. And we, together with our partners, must do everything we can to protect people,” Zelenskiy also said.
Turkey is pushing for a new agreement between Russia and Ukraine concerning grain exports via the Black Sea, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told reporters in Istanbul on Monday.
Fidan said that Turkey was in contact with both Ukraine and Russia on the matter.
“We are working on a further agreement, similar to the grain deal,” the minister explained.
Such an agreement had already been in place after the war began in 2022.
However, it expired in 2023.
Fidan also called on the warring parties to exercise restraint in light of drone attacks on ships in the Black Sea.
He warned that the attacks posed a threat not only to security in the Black Sea but also to global food security.
Ukraine and Russia are among the world’s leading wheat exporters.
If their supplies are lost to the global market, there are fears not only of higher prices but also of shortages or even famine, for example in African countries.
Due to the mutual attacks in the Black Sea, there are currently hardly any grain carriers sailing there.
The situation regarding Russia’s war against Ukraine – and in particular the naval conflict in the Black Sea – will also be on the agenda on Tuesday at a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Kyrgyzstan.
Tensions in the Black Sea escalated recently.
On Saturday, Turkey summoned the Ukrainian ambassador to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and protested against attacks on two Turkish ships in the Black Sea on Wednesday and Thursday.
On Sunday, according to the DHA news agency, a tanker flying the Hong Kong flag ran aground off the Turkish Black Sea province of Samsun following a drone attack.
The report stated that the ship had already been attacked last Wednesday and, after the crew had been relocated to Russia, had been drifting unmanned at sea for days.
with DPA
