Russian, Ukrainian militaries discuss freeing grain exports

By AYSE WIETING and SUZAN FRASER
Associated Press

ISTANBUL (AP) — Military officials from Russia and Ukraine met in Istanbul for their governments’ first face-to-face talks in months. They gathered in Istanbul to discuss a United Nations plan to export blocked Ukrainian grain to world markets through the Black Sea. Ukraine is one of the world’s largest exporters of wheat, corn and sunflower oil. Russia’s invasion and war on Ukraine has disrupted production and halted shipments, endangering food supplies in many developing countries and contributing to global higher prices. Turkish military officials and U.N. envoys participated in Wednesday’s talks on finding a way to get millions of tons of grain sitting in Ukraine silos shipped out. Ukraine’s top diplomat has said grain exports cannot resume without security guarantees.