Turkey on Wednesday said a sea corridor from Ukraine for grain exports could be formed without needing to clear the mines around Ukrainian ports, while Russia said it has offered "safe passage" for shipments from the Black Sea but is not responsible for establishing the routers.
Ukrainian grain shipments have been stalled since Russia’s invasion and ports blockade, stoking global prices for grains, cooking oils, fuel and fertilizer. The United Nations has appealed to the two sides, as well as to their maritime neighbor and NATO member Turkey, to agree on a corridor. It is trying to broker a deal to resume Ukraine exports and Russian food and fertilizer exports, which Moscow says are harmed by the sanctions.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on Wednesday detailed the U.N. plan to create a sea corridor for Ukrainian agricultural products, suggesting that ships could be guided around the floating sea mines.
His comments appeared to mark a shift from an earlier proposal to demine Ukraine’s ports, a move that Kyiv fears would leave it far more vulnerable to Russian attack from the Black Sea.
Çavuşoğlu said it would "take some time" to de-mine Ukraine’s ports but a safe sea corridor could be established in areas without mines under a U.N. proposal. Ankara was still awaiting Moscow’s reaction to the plan, he said.
"Since the location of the mines is known, certain safe lines would be established at three ports," Çavuşoğlu said. He said commercial ships, using the guidance of Ukrainian vessels as detailed in the plan, "could thus come and go safely to ports without a need to clear the mines."
He added that Turkey offered to host a meeting in Istanbul to hammer out the plan's details if the sides agreed.
Meanwhile, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said late Thursday that he appreciates the effort made by Turkey and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to facilitate the stranded Ukrainian grain shipments out of the country.
Hotline established
On the other hand, Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said, "we are not responsible for establishing safe corridors. We said we could provide safe passage if these corridors are established."
"It's obvious it either demine the territory, which was mined by the Ukrainians or ensure that the passage goes around those mines," he told reporters.
The U.N. has been "working in close cooperation with the Turkish authorities on this issue," said U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.
Dujarric said Turkey’s suggestion to get grain out of Ukraine without demining "was extremely positive."
"In order for this to go forward, there will be a need for agreement from the Ukrainian side, from the Russian side," he added.
"Secretary-General (Antonio Guterres) is extremely grateful for the cooperation we’ve had from President Erdoğan, Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu and the Turkish military who’ve been working so constructively in order to solve this problem," said Dujarric.
Turkey’s Defense Ministry on Wednesday said a hotline had also been created between Turkey, Ukraine and Russia to solve the grain crisis.
Over the hotline, a general from each country can take part in talks to "discuss the issue more closely and reach a result," it said.
"We have heavy negotiation traffic with both Russia and Ukraine. Both sides have some reservations. We are working to eliminate the reservations. We are hopeful," Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said.
Akar held separate telephone conversations last week with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts.
‘Limited optimism’
Ukraine fears that demining its ports would leave it far more vulnerable to Russian attack from the Black Sea.
"Our military people are against it, so that’s why we have very, very limited optimism for this model," David Arakhamia, a lawmaker and member of Ukraine’s negotiation team with Russia, said at an event in Washington on Wednesday.
John Kirby, a national security spokesperson at the White House, said getting grain out of Ukraine is a "tricky issue" but President Joe Biden is "keeping an open mind."
"He is doing everything he can to get that grain to market," Kirby told reporters. "We’re all mindful of the sense of urgency here. We’re working it very, very hard."
Biden said on Tuesday that temporary silos would be built along the border with Ukraine in a bid to help export more grain and address a growing global food crisis.
Çavuşoğlu discussed the U.N. plan with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Ankara last week, but said further discussions with Moscow and Kyiv were needed. Lavrov then said the onus was on Ukraine to clear mines around its ports for commercial ships to approach.
Moscow denies responsibility for the food crisis, blaming Western sanctions.
Turkey, which has the second-biggest army in NATO and a powerful navy, has good relations with both Kyiv and Moscow, and has said it is ready to take up a role within an "observation mechanism" based in Istanbul if there is a deal.