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Zelenskyy, Erdogan agree in Istanbul to work on Black Sea grain corridor; Erdogan urges end to ship attacks
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after meeting Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul on 31 October that they agreed to work on a Black Sea grain corridor. Erdogan urged Russia and Ukraine to stop attacks on civilian ships. No terms or timeline were given and Moscow's reaction was not reported.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed in Istanbul on Saturday, 31 October, to work on a new Black Sea grain corridor. 'Today, I reached an agreement with President Erdogan to work on the Black Sea grain corridor,' Zelenskyy said at a joint news conference. Erdogan said talks on restoring safe navigation would continue. Neither leader described how the corridor would work, when it might start, or whether Russia would take part.
Erdogan's appeal
Erdogan urged both Russia and Ukraine to stop attacks on civilian ships. 'We cannot accept these attacks under any circumstances, regardless of who carries them out,' he said, adding that such attacks and any action that raises tensions in the Black Sea serve no one's interests. Turkey has sent both sides a proposal to end the attacks, but says neither has acted on it. On 28 October the Liberian-flagged container ship Contship Jet was struck by drones in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea.
Erdogan said he would speak to the Russian side after the meeting. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Moscow and Kyiv would have to make painful concessions for a peace deal, and warned that a prolonged war risks wider regional conflict and disrupts shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the Black Sea.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on the same day that there is growing international interest in a limited ceasefire in the Black Sea to secure grain and energy shipments. He said Washington is reviewing proposals from Turkey and India to get grain moving, and described the disruption as a threat to food security and some energy security. President Donald Trump has said a Russia-Ukraine deal is 'very close', which suggests a breakthrough could come before the G20 leaders' summit in December. Earlier grain arrangements allowed Ukrainian exports to continue until 2023.
The Kremlin has said the next round of Russia-Ukraine-US talks is planned for November in the United Arab Emirates. Zelenskyy discussed that format with Erdogan, along with options that would involve Turkey, Europe and other partners and a possible meeting in Turkey, which has hosted several earlier rounds. Zelenskyy has pointed to 6 to 10 November as a possible window. In a call with Trump on Wednesday, Erdogan said Turkey was ready to support efforts to revive the diplomatic process.
Russia's reaction to the corridor proposal and to the news conference was not reported in the coverage reviewed.
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