Turkey's Erdogan dials Zelenskyy after conversation with Putin; discusses Ukraine crisis

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on May 30 over the current situation in Ukraine, peace talks with Russia and the building of safe corridors. The call came just hours after Erdogan spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which he reaffirmed Ankara's commitment to continue contributing for peace in Ukraine.

Erdogan informed Zelenskyy that Turkey is doing all possible to ensure the continuation of talks between Ukraine and Russia, emphasising the country's willingness to provide more assistance, including mediation, Turkey's Communications Directorate said in a statement. Further, both the leaders also discussed efforts to establish a safe corridor for Ukrainian agricultural product sea exports.

According to a statement released by Erdogan's office, the Turkish President said he, "especially valued the project to create a safe sea route for exporting Ukrainian agricultural goods."

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy wrote on Twitter, "Continued dialogue with President @RTErdogan Discussed threats to food security posed by the aggressor & ways to unblock ports. Held discussions on cooperation in the security sphere. Unanimously agree on the need to restore peace. We appreciate 's help in this process."

Erdogan supported idea of making Istanbul HQ for observation mechanism between Moscow, Kyiv & UN

Erdogan also supported the idea of making Istanbul the headquarters for a "observation mechanism" between Moscow, Kyiv, and the United Nations, according to the statement. Notably, according to a Kremlin summary of conversations with Erdogan, Putin indicated on May 30 that Russia is ready to enable the unimpeded transfer of grain from Ukrainian ports in conjunction with Turkey.

Since Russia's invasion in February, Ukraine's Black Sea ports have been closed, and more than 20 million tonnes of grain are estimated to be stranded in silos. Russian fertiliser and grain exports have been hindered, according to Moscow, due to the chilling effect of Western sanctions placed on Russia as a result of the war.

It is worth mentioning here that Russia and Ukraine produce nearly one-third of the world's wheat. Russia is also a major global fertiliser exporter, and Ukraine is a major corn and sunflower oil exporter. The conflict is causing a global food crisis, with grain, cooking oil, fuel, and fertiliser prices skyrocketing.

Image: AP