Turkey has prepared a proposal for safer grain movements through the Black Sea and says it is in contact with both Russia and Ukraine.

Ankara returns to maritime mediation

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan disclosed the initiative on 31 August as attacks on ports and commercial shipping intensified concern about food supplies. Turkey previously helped broker the United Nations-backed grain arrangement that enabled Ukrainian agricultural exports before that mechanism collapsed.

The new proposal has not yet become an agreement. Its importance lies in Turkey’s geography, control of access through the Turkish Straits and working channels with both belligerents. Any corridor would require credible security guarantees for crews, ports and insurers.

Sources