Turkey wants the safe-transit deal for Ukrainian grain exports from Black Sea ports extended for three months instead of two, said President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“I’m hopeful for an extension,” Erdogan said in Istanbul early Saturday in a joint appearance with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The pair discussed the grain deal and other matters late Friday after Ukraine’s leader arrived from Slovakia.
The shipping deal is set to expire on July 17. It’s been a vital lifeline for Ukraine’s agricultural exports that’s seen millions of tons of grains and other commodities exported over the past 11 months.
