Ukraine made a proposal to Turkey to restore the grain corridor without the participation of the Russian Federation. So far, there is no final decision. This was reported by Ambassador of Ukraine to Turkey Vasyl Bodnar in an interview with Media Center Ukraine.
"The proposal to work (the "grain corridor" - ed.) without Russia has been submitted to the Turkish side. There is no final confirmation yet. But since the ships (with grain - ed.) are already sailing through the territorial waters of Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey and passing through the straits without restrictions, this is actually a rational way," the ambassador said.
Bodnar recalled that earlier under the agreement, there were often situations when Russia tried to restrict access to Ukrainian ports or regulate exports from Ukraine. In particular, there were restrictions on the list of goods that could be exported from Ukraine.
The ambassador emphasized that the absence of export restrictions for ships passing through the "grain route" could be the basis for resolving this situation.
According to Bodnar, communication between Turkey and the UN is currently underway following the results of negotiations with Ukraine and Russia to develop an agreed position.
Meanwhile, Kyiv is looking forward to high-level communication with Istanbul, which may take place in the coming days or possibly within the framework of the UN General Assembly. This is necessary in order to understand "where we can move on."
"We are, of course, taking a constructive position towards our partners Turkey and the UN and mediators and will develop mechanisms that will be beneficial to our side, but will not harm the principled position on lifting sanctions against Russia - this is absolutely the wrong way," Bodnar added.
