Ankara: Presidents of Turkey and Ukraine have discussed expanding the scope of the grain deal and the Ukraine-Russia conflict over the phone, the Turkish presidency said in a statement.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday that Turkey continued to work towards meeting the humanitarian needs of the Ukrainian people in the “difficult winter months”.
“The grain corridor could be expanded to include different food products and other commodities,” said Erdogan.
He also expressed hope for “approaching a solution” to the issue of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, the statement said as quoted by Xinhua news agency report.
Turkey has been evaluating the contributions that can be made for the implementation of the peace plan announced by Zelensky at the G20 Summit, the Turkish President told his Ukrainian counterpart.
Turkish first lady Emine Erdogan was closely involved with the group of 1,033 people consisting of Ukrainian orphan children and their companions hosted in the Turkish capital Ankara, he added.
Earlier in the day, Erdogan had a phone talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which they discussed Turkey-Russia relations, exports through the Black Sea grain corridor and the fight against terrorism along the Turkish-Syrian border, said the Turkish presidency.
On July 22, Russia and Ukraine separately signed a document in Istanbul with Turkey and the UN to ensure grain and fertiliser supplies to the global market amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
–IANS