Ukrainian Ambassador to Ankara Vasily Bodna, in a statement on social media, stressed that “Russia is shamelessly and unprecedentedly stealing Ukrainian grain, taking it abroad from Crimea and taking this grain to foreign countries, including Turkey,” noting that “we asked Turkey to help solve this problem.”

Ukraine was one of the main grain exporters until the start of Russia’s war with Ukraine on February 24, 2020, which caused food prices to rise worldwide and jeopardized food security in Africa and the Middle East due to the Russian naval blockade. Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea.

For its part, Turkey, a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, sought to maintain a delicate balance in relations with Kyiv and Moscow, handing over the military march to Ukraine, seeking to play the role of mediator in the conflict. but has refrained from imposing sanctions against Russia, which it relies on in energy and grain imports, Ankara has also offered, at the request of the UN, to help secure sea lanes for Ukrainian grain exports.