"One thing that nearly all participants had in common was a shared uncertainty about the future, which prevented them from making long-term plans," the UNHCR said in its report.
The United Nations chief said a Wednesday meeting in Istanbul between Russia and Ukraine took “a critical step forward” in addressing the blocked export of grain from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said “more technical work will now be needed” to reach an agreement, “but the momentum is clear … I’m encouraged, but it’s not yet fully done.”
The Russian blockage of millions of tons of grain from being exported from Ukraine has led to food shortages in Africa and Asia. Ukraine is one of the world’s largest exporters of wheat, corn, and sunflower oil.
The negotiations Wednesday led to agreements that include establishing a coordination center in Istanbul, "joint control" of exit and arrival points and the maintained safety of transfer routes, according to a statement from Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar.
Speaking to The Associated Press ahead of the talks, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said any agreement needs to ensure Russia "will respect these corridors, they will not sneak into the harbor and attack ports or that they will not attack ports from the air with their missiles."
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