Türkiye has been a “leader” in efforts “to secure food supplies for the entire world,” the US State Department stated Monday following Russia’s resolution to tug out from the Black Sea grain deal.
In response to a query on whether or not there’s a hyperlink between the sale of F-16 jets to Türkiye and the grain deal, spokesperson Matthew Miller responded: “There is no link and I will say that Turkey has been at the forefront of encouraging Russia to first enter into and extend the Black Sea Grain Initiative.”
Türkiye has been a “leader in this effort of trying to secure food supplies for the entire world,” he stated.
“We have commended them for their efforts and it is Russia that is holding up this initiative, not Turkey or any other country,” he added.
Earlier on Monday, the Kremlin introduced it suspended the deal, saying that the Russian a part of the settlement was not applied.
The settlement, initially signed in July of final yr in Istanbul by Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine, was aimed toward resuming grain exports from Ukrainian ports. These exports had been halted on account of the Russian-Ukrainian warfare which started in February 2022.
A Joint Coordination Center was arrange in Istanbul final yr with officers from the three international locations and the UN to supervise the shipments.
The deal has been renewed a number of instances since then, and it was prolonged for one more two months on May 18.
Source: www.anews.com.tr
