The first foreign ship left the port of Mariupol since its capture. Immediately after the main meeting

During the meeting in Moscow, among other things, on how to solve the food crisis and the evacuation of Turkish merchant ships laden with grain from Ukrainian ports, according to the press release. The Turkish side said the talks were “constructive and positive”.

“A few hours after the end of the long meeting, the Turkish cargo ship Azov Concorde (…) left the Ukrainian port of Mariupol,” he added.

According to a statement of the Turkish Ministry, another meeting on Ukrainian grain exports is scheduled for soon, in which, in addition to representatives of Turkey and Russia, delegations from Ukraine and the United Nations will also participate. Turkish media reported on Tuesday that such a quartet meeting would be held next week in Istanbul.

Ukraine is one of the world’s largest grain exporters, and it is shipped mainly by sea. Millions of tons of Ukrainian grain cannot be shipped through the ports on the Black Sea coast because Russian ships block it.

Russia’s blockade of the ports threatens global grain prices and could lead to food shortages in many countries in Africa and the Middle East. Due to Russia’s closure of the Black Sea ports, Ukraine is unable to export about 22 million tons of grain stored in silos.

Government sources in Ankara, quoted by Turkish media, reported on the plan to establish three sea lanes from four Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea, including Odessa. Between 30 and 35 million tons of grain will be transported along this route.