Black Sea grain deal meeting starts in Istanbul, says Turkish defense chief

An Istanbul meeting on extending the Black Sea grain deal convened on Wednesday between Türkiye, Russia, Ukraine, and the UN, Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar announced.

"The meeting of the deputy defense ministers of Türkiye, Russia, Ukraine and UN officials in Istanbul started today.

"We are continuing our negotiations to ensure that this work does not come to a halt and that stability is maintained," Akar said at an event in the central Kayseri province.

Akar added that so far, 30 million tons of grain were transported to those in need under the deal, which is set to expire on May 18.

Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed an agreement in Istanbul last July to resume grain exports from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports, which were halted after the Russia-Ukraine war began in February 2022.

A Joint Coordination Center with officials from the three countries and the UN was set up in Istanbul to oversee the shipments.​​​​​​​