Erdogan says Turkey wants 3-month extension of the safe-transit grain deal

By Baris Balci & Olesia Safronova

Turkey wants the safe-transit deal for u krainian grain exports from Black Sea ports extended for three months instead of two, said President r e cep Tayyip e r dogan.

“ I’m hopeful for an extension,” e r dogan said in Istanbul early Saturday in a joint appearance with u krainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The pair discussed the grain deal and other matters late Friday after u kraine’s leader arrived from Slovakia.

T he shipping deal is set to expire on July r u ssia increased its criticism of the agreement during the previous extension period, saying the pact didn’t deliver sufficient food to poor African nations. Moscow recently said it sees “no grounds for further continuation” of the deal. e r dogan also said r u ssian President Vladimir Putin will visit Turkey in August.

17. It’s been a vital lifeline for u kraine’s agricultural exports that’s seen millions of tons of grains and other commodities exported over the past 11 months.

Turkey brokered the original deal along with the u n ited Nations. Its termination - which r u ssia has repeatedly threatened - may lift global food prices given u kraine’s importance as an exporter of grains.

The whole world is interested in the functioning of the grain corridor,” Zelenskyy said, adding that the continuation of the agreement shouldn’t depend on the “wishes of one state” or “on the mood with which the president of the r u ssian Federation woke up.”

NATO path u ndou btedly, u k raine deserves NATO membership,” e r dogan said. u S P resident Joe Biden has set a less enthusiastic tone, saying he doesn’t think u kraine is ready for membership in NATO. “A vote on u k raine by NATO members would be premature,” Biden told CNN. Bloomberg News

Zele NS k yy’ S v isit to Turkey was a part of the broader diplomatic tour of NATO countries before the alliance’s summit next week, as he pursues a path for u kraine into the military alliance.