Black Sea Grain Truce Gains Backers
Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Washington is reviewing Turkish and Indian proposals to get grain moving through the Black Sea, as Turkey and Ukraine agree to work on a grain corridor.
Grain at a port terminal during the Black Sea grain corridor, September 2022.Illustration by The Good Times, based on a photo by the International Maritime Organization / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States is reviewing proposals from Turkey and India to get grain shipments moving through the Black Sea. "This is threatening the world for food security and some energy security as well," he said in Atlanta after hosting G20 foreign ministers. "It doesn't solve the war, but at least it solves a unique aspect of it." Several countries are considering roles as guarantors or facilitators, he said. In Istanbul, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said attacks on civilian ships in the Black Sea serve no one's interests, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the two had agreed to work on a Black Sea grain corridor. Rubio defended talking to Moscow, saying a settlement needs the ability to talk to both sides. He said a negotiated end to the war remains the U.S. priority, but no breakthrough is near. Erdogan said talks to restore safe navigation would continue.
The United States is weighing Turkish and Indian proposals to restart grain shipments through the Black Sea, and Turkey and Ukraine have agreed to work on a grain corridor, though no deal to end the war is close.
Washington reviews the proposals
Rubio told a news conference in Atlanta that the United States is examining proposals from Turkey and India to restore grain shipments. "This is threatening the world for food security and some energy security as well," he said. "We'd like to achieve it. It doesn't solve the war, but at least it solves a unique aspect of it." He said interest in such an arrangement has grown and that several countries are considering acting as guarantors or facilitators.
Rubio defended talking to Moscow. "How can you have a negotiated settlement between Russia and Ukraine if you don't have the ability to talk to both Russia and Ukraine?" he asked. He said a negotiated settlement remains the priority, though none is close.
Turkey and Ukraine
Erdogan hosted Zelenskyy in Istanbul. "It is clear that attacks against civilian vessels and actions that further escalate tensions in the Black Sea serve no one's interests," Erdogan said. "Today, I reached an agreement with President Erdogan to work on the Black Sea grain corridor," Zelenskyy said. Erdogan said talks to restore safe navigation would continue and that an agreement could give fresh impetus to efforts for a lasting peace in Ukraine.