KIEV: Russia and Ukraine have made some progress at the discussions on grain exports in Istanbul that also involved representatives of Turkey and the United Nations, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has sad.
"The Ukrainian delegation informed me that there had been some advancement. In the upcoming days, we will decide on the specifics with the UN secretary-general " Zelensky was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.
The President reportedly stated on Wednesday that Ukraine is making major efforts to restore food supply to the international market.
To establish ways to export Ukrainian grain from Ukraine's Black Sea ports to the international market, delegates from Ukraine, Russia, and Turkey met with a UN delegation in Istanbul earlier in the day.
The first direct discussions between Russia and Ukraine since March on an agreement to ease the global food crisis brought on by the blockade of grain shipments from Ukraine's Black Sea ports made significant headway, but an end to the war remained far off as intense shelling continued in the country's east.
After the meeting, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated that the discussions on permitting grain exports had given people "a ray of hope to lessen human suffering and alleviate hunger around the world," but he also cautioned that a deal was "not yet totally done."
Ukraine reports a strike on a Russian ammunition depot in the south.
