(VOVWORLD) - Ukraine continues to prepare to restart grain exports from its Black Sea ports despite a Russian missile strike that hit the port of Odesa on Saturday, Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said.
 This aereal picture taken on July 7, 2022 shows farmer harvesting wheat near Kramatosk in the Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. (Photo: AFP/VNA) |
The same day, Turkey’s Defense Ministry said that Russian officials had told Ankara that Moscow was not involved in the missile strike on Odesa port.
According to Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, he also held phone talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksiy Reznikov and Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister, Oleksandr Kubrakov, who signed an agreement on grain exports in Istanbul on Friday.
The Ukrainian ministers informed Akar of the missile attack on one of the loading points at the port but there were no serious consequences.
Minister Kubrakov said he hopes the signed document can save not only the Ukrainian economy, but also millions of people from hunger and billions of people out of poverty.
On Friday, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, and the United Nations signed an agreement on the export of Ukrainian grain from Black Sea ports, which were blocked after Russia began it’s special military operation in Ukraine.
In addition, Russia and the UN signed a MoU on the export of Russian agricultural products and fertilizers. But Ukraine and Russia did not sign a bilateral document.