More than 100 Azov fighters are awaiting trial, says Donetsk separatist leader

Talks between Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations held in Istanbul Wednesday resulted within the events agreeing to type “a Joint Coordination Centre below the UN auspices” to make sure that Ukrainian grain exports by the Black Sea could be secured, based on Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian President’s workplace.

The middle can be situated in Istanbul and the duty can be to hold out “common monitoring and coordination of secure navigation within the Black Sea,” Yermak mentioned Wednesday.

Some context: Greater than 20 million tons of grain stay caught in Ukraine because of Russia’s blockade of Black Sea ports, based on Ukrainian officers.

Earlier than the conflict, wheat provides from Russia and Ukraine accounted for nearly 30% of world commerce, and Ukraine is the world’s fourth-largest exporter of corn and the fifth-largest exporter of wheat, based on the US State Division. The UN World Meals Program — which helps fight international meals insecurity — buys about half of its wheat from Ukraine annually and has warned of dire penalties if Ukrainian ports are usually not opened up.

About 80% of Ukraine’s grain exports had been shipped from the nation’s Black Sea ports earlier than Russia’s invasion.

With these routes blocked, Ukraine hopes to hurry up grain exports by reopened Danube River routes, made attainable after Ukrainian troops recaptured Snake Island in June.

A line of barges ready to sail up the Danube River and cargo up on grain at one in every of Ukraine’s river ports will take a number of weeks to clear, deputy minister of Agrarian Coverage and Meals Taras Vysotsky mentioned in a televised tackle Wednesday.