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Russia, Ukraine make 'substantive' progress on grain delivery negotiations

Russia and Ukraine made progress in negotiations to allow deliveries of grain from Ukrainian ports but did not reach a deal Wednesday. Photo by Mykola Tys/EPA-EFE
1 of 3 | Russia and Ukraine made progress in negotiations to allow deliveries of grain from Ukrainian ports but did not reach a deal Wednesday. Photo by Mykola Tys/EPA-EFE

July 13 (UPI) -- Russia and Ukraine held "substantive" talks on allowing deliveries of grain from Ukrainian ports but did not reach a deal, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters, Guterres said the talks in Turkey seeking to free up more than 20 million tons of grain that have been blockaded in Ukraine's Black Sea since Russia invaded the country in late February were "extremely encouraging."

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"Today is an important and substantive step. A step on the way to a comprehensive agreement," he said. "We must also do more for struggling people and developing countries getting pummeled by a food, energy and financial crises not of their making."

Guterres said specifically there had been "substantive agreement" on aspects of a potential deal, including the mechanisms of control, a system of coordination and agreed-upon shipping routes.

"In the end, the aim of all parties is not just an agreement between the Russian Federation and Ukraine, but an agreement for the world," he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said during his daily address that the Ukrainian delegation would agree on the details with Guterres "in the coming days," welcoming the progress toward a deal.

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"We are indeed making significant efforts to restore food supply to the world market. And I am grateful to the United Nations and Turkey for their respective efforts," he said.

"The success of this story is needed not only by our state but also, without exaggeration, by the whole world. If it is possible to remove the Russian threat to shipping in the Black Sea, it will remove the severity of the global food crisis."

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