Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan plans to discuss the issue of grain export corridor with Ukrainian and Russian leaders Vladimir Zelensky and Vladimir Putin, the Turkish Anadolu agency reported on Twitter.
“Turkish President Erdogan said he would discuss the issue of grain export corridor with Russian and Ukrainian counterparts next week,” the statement said.
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called on the Russian President for an immediate truce and withdrawal of troops from Ukraine during a telephone conversation with Vladimir Putin on Saturday.
According to the service of the German government, the conversation took place on the initiative of France and Germany and lasted 80 minutes. “The Chancellor and the President of France called for an immediate truce and the withdrawal of Russian troops. They called on the President of Russia to enter into serious direct negotiations with the President of Ukraine and find a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
Macron and Scholz also urged Putin to “improve the humanitarian situation of the civilian population” and “commended the commitment of the Russian President to the treatment of captured soldiers in accordance with international humanitarian law, in particular the Geneva Conventions, and to ensure unrestricted access for the International Committee of the Red Cross.”
In addition, the leaders of Germany and France also spoke with President Putin about the global food situation, “which has become particularly aggravated as a result of Russia’s aggressive war.” “President Putin has given assurances that he wants to allow grain exports from Ukraine, especially by sea. President Putin has vowed that he will not use the demining belt created to protect Ukrainian ports offensively to allow grain exports by sea. The Chancellor, President Macron and President Putin have agreed on the central role of the United Nations in reaching and implementing an agreement on this issue,” the federal government said in a release.
In turn, the Elysee Palace also reported that Macron and Scholz, during a telephone conversation with Putin, called for the release of 2,500 Ukrainian prisoners of war from Azovstal.
In addition, Macron and Scholz called on Putin to negotiate directly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Macron and Scholz urged the interlocutor “to urgently lift the blockade from Odessa in order to enable the export of Ukrainian grain to prevent a global food crisis.” They took note of the readiness of the Russian Federation to let foreign ships into this port to export grain, the Elysee Palace said.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said that during a telephone conversation, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a positive signal to the exchange of prisoners, and also wants to allow the movement of goods through the Black Sea.
“Our understanding of an active policy of neutrality is to seize every opportunity for dialogue. Therefore, I called President Putin. He gave a positive signal for the exchange of prisoners. He also wants to allow the movement of goods through the Black Sea,” the chancellor tweeted on Saturday night.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said he was ready for negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but without his intermediaries and on the terms of dialogue, not ultimatums.
“I am ready to talk with Putin. But only with him. Without any of his intermediaries. And on the terms of dialogue, and not on the terms of ultimatums,” Zelensky said in an interview with the Italian TV channel Rai 1, published on the head of state’s Telegram channel. on Friday.
At the same time, the president noted that the very issue of negotiations with Putin is becoming more complicated day by day.
“Because every day (Russia – IF) small, I would say, towns are occupied, where they live or lived, unfortunately, we state that people lived. Because many of them left their homes. And many people were killed. When we If we de-occupy these places, we see traces of bullying, executions and destruction of infrastructure by the Russian military. And it is precisely because of this that the moments regarding the possibility of negotiations become more complicated,” he said.
Also, according to him, the Ukrainian society itself is not positive about the negotiations between the President of Ukraine and the President of Russia.
Answering the question of what kind of world Ukraine wants, Zelensky replied that it should be Russia’s respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, traditions and people, language and people, society and independence.
“All this was violated by the Russian Federation. It needs to be restored. What does this mean? Withdraw your troops. I’m not saying that we need to return all the loot – but these are not values for us. Values are living people … Please go beyond the borders of our state” he summed up.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, repeated his proposal to upgrade the talks in Istanbul to the level of leaders, the Turkish presidential administration said.
“President Erdogan reiterated his proposal to elevate the Istanbul process, an important stage for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, to the level of leaders,” the Turkish presidential administration said on Twitter on Tuesday.
Emphasizing the importance of ensuring the ceasefire, the effective operation of humanitarian corridors and the safe conduct of the evacuation, Erdogan said that Turkey will continue to make every effort to end the current state of affairs, which is detrimental to everyone, and establish a lasting peace.
“President Erdogan noted that the continuation of the positive momentum achieved in the Istanbul talks to pave the way for peace will benefit everyone,” the message says.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer informed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about the results of negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, ORF reports citing the Austrian Federal Chancellery.
According to the channel, Nehammer told Zelensky that the meeting was not a “friendly visit.”
