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Ukraine Urges UN and Türkiye to Start Talks to Extend Grain Deal

Palau flagged bulker MKK1, carrying grain under UN’s Black Sea grain initiative, is towed free after running aground in Istanbul's Bosphorus, Türkiye January 16, 2023. (Reuters)
Palau flagged bulker MKK1, carrying grain under UN’s Black Sea grain initiative, is towed free after running aground in Istanbul's Bosphorus, Türkiye January 16, 2023. (Reuters)
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Ukraine Urges UN and Türkiye to Start Talks to Extend Grain Deal

Palau flagged bulker MKK1, carrying grain under UN’s Black Sea grain initiative, is towed free after running aground in Istanbul's Bosphorus, Türkiye January 16, 2023. (Reuters)
Palau flagged bulker MKK1, carrying grain under UN’s Black Sea grain initiative, is towed free after running aground in Istanbul's Bosphorus, Türkiye January 16, 2023. (Reuters)

Ukraine has sent an appeal to the UN and Türkiye to start negotiations on extending a grain export deal, but there has been no response, a Ukrainian government source said on Tuesday.

Yuriy Vaskov, Ukraine's deputy minister of restoration, told Reuters last week that Kyiv would ask all sides to start talks to roll over the deal, seeking an extension of at least one year that would include the ports of Mykolaiv.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative brokered by the UN and Türkiye last July allowed grain to be exported from three Ukrainian ports. The agreement was extended in November and will expire on March 18 unless an extension is agreed.

"We have sent a letter requesting that we start dealing with this issue as March 18 is very soon, but we have not had any feedback so far," a source said.

A major global grain grower and exporter, Ukraine's grain exports were down almost 27% at 31.8 million tons in the 2022/23 season as of Feb. 27, impacted by a smaller harvest and logistical difficulties caused by the Russian invasion.

Ukraine exports around 3 million tons of agricultural products a month under the deal, but Vaskov said Ukraine was able to export 6 million tons a month from the ports of Odesa region and boost it to 8 million tons if Mykolaiv joins.

Despite a decrease in the 2022 grain harvest to around 54 million tons from a record 86 million in 2021, at least 30 million tons of grain are still in silos and could be exported, according to the agriculture ministry.

The Black Sea is already listed as a high risk zone by the London insurance market, and additional war risk insurance premiums of tens of thousands of dollars a day are common costs now alongside fuel and freight.

The grain corridor has relied on foreign-owned ships and Western insurers to provide cover.

Insurance industry sources said having Mykolaiv added to the initiative would help to speed up the departure of over 60 ships stranded in multiple Ukrainian ports.

There are around 26 ships stuck in Mykolaiv alone, according to shipping industry estimates.

"This could significantly increase the number of ships that could get out," one industry source said.

Insurers are facing at least half a billion dollars in claims for the commercial ships still stuck in Ukraine a year after the start of the war with Russia, sources have said.

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World

India Says Defense Exports Hit 'All-time High' of $4 bn

India said it exported more than $4 billion of defense equipment including missiles, boats and artillery. Dibyangshu SARKAR / AFP
India said it exported more than $4 billion of defense equipment including missiles, boats and artillery. Dibyangshu SARKAR / AFP
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India Says Defense Exports Hit 'All-time High' of $4 bn

India said it exported more than $4 billion of defense equipment including missiles, boats and artillery. Dibyangshu SARKAR / AFP
India said it exported more than $4 billion of defense equipment including missiles, boats and artillery. Dibyangshu SARKAR / AFP

India's defense exports "skyrocketed" to an all-time high of more than $4 billion in the last fiscal year, as it looks to boost its arms manufacturing sector, the government said Thursday.

The figures mark a rise of more than 60 percent from 2024, the defense ministry said, and provide a shot in the arm for the South Asian country, which is determined to recast itself as a major producer and exporter of weapons, AFP said.

"India is marching ahead towards becoming a global defense manufacturing hub," the ministry quoted Defense Minister Rajnath Singh as saying.

"This big jump... in defense exports reflects the growing global trust in India's indigenous capabilities and advanced manufacturing strength," Singh said, adding that it had hit an "all-time high" in the fiscal year 2025-26 of 38,424 billion rupees ($4.15 billion).

Government defense companies produced nearly 55 percent of the exports, with the rest made by private companies.

"This milestone showcases the power of a collaborative and self-reliant defense ecosystem," Singh said.

India exports defense equipment to more than 100 countries, with the United States, France and Armenia among the top customers, according to the defense ministry.

Shipments range from missiles, boats and artillery to radar systems, rocket launchers and electronic components.

However, the country is still primarily a buyer, not a seller, and remains globally a minor player in exports.

New Delhi earlier this year announced a record $85 billion boost for its defense sector.

But India's arms purchases still make up around eight percent of all imports globally, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

 

World

Russia Repels Drone Attack on Gas Pipeline to Türkiye, Says Gazprom

File photo: Pipes at the landfall facilities of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline are pictured in Lubmin, Germany, March 8, 2022. (Reuters)
File photo: Pipes at the landfall facilities of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline are pictured in Lubmin, Germany, March 8, 2022. (Reuters)
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Russia Repels Drone Attack on Gas Pipeline to Türkiye, Says Gazprom

File photo: Pipes at the landfall facilities of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline are pictured in Lubmin, Germany, March 8, 2022. (Reuters)
File photo: Pipes at the landfall facilities of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline are pictured in Lubmin, Germany, March 8, 2022. (Reuters)

Russian forces repelled a drone attack early Thursday on part of the TurkStream gas pipeline connecting Russia and Türkiye, the pipeline's operator Gazprom said in a statement.

"The Russkaya compressor station, which ensures the reliable export of gas via the TurkStream pipeline, came under attack from three aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles," Gazprom said. "The attack was repelled and no damage was caused to the Gazprom facility."

The Russkaya compressor station is the starting point of the TurkStream pipeline. Russia has accused Ukraine of targeting it multiple times.

World

Erdogan Warns of Iran War Spillover, Stresses Türkiye’s Neutrality

 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Turkish Presidency) 
 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Turkish Presidency) 
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Erdogan Warns of Iran War Spillover, Stresses Türkiye’s Neutrality

 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Turkish Presidency) 
 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Turkish Presidency) 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday warned of the risk of a widening war in Iran, stressing that his government’s priority is to steer the country through the current regional turmoil unharmed and keep it away from escalating conflict.

Erdogan placed primary responsibility for the war on Israel’s government, describing the conflict as “illegitimate” and saying it has “not only turned the region into a battlefield but has also burdened all of humanity with economic costs”.

“We must not forget that every drop of blood shed in this war will prolong the time Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains in power,” he stated.

Speaking at a meeting of the parliamentary group of the ruling Justice and Development Party, Erdogan said one of the greatest risks facing the region is not only the continuation of the war, but also the danger of it expanding into a broader regional conflict.

He stressed that retaliatory attacks targeting energy, transport and civilian infrastructure are increasing that risk.

Erdogan added that the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran, which began on Feb. 28, has entered its first month and continues with rising levels of threat and danger.

He continued that the war with Iran does not serve the vision of global peace but undermines it, stressing that diplomacy, dialogue and compromise are the best available means to resolve the crisis, and that common ground should be sought instead of clinging to extreme demands.

‘Path to peace’

The Turkish president expressed hope that a path to peace could be opened without further bloodshed.

“We will continue to do everything in our power, even if it requires putting ourselves at risk,” he stated.

He noted that Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had taken part in a four-way meeting with his counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Pakistan, where concerns over the Iran war and steps to end it were discussed.

Erdogan added that Defense Minister Yasar Guler, intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin and other officials are making intensive efforts within their respective fields.

“If there is even a glimmer of hope to end the bloodshed, silence the guns and resolve problems through diplomacy, it is our duty to seize that opportunity,” he said.

Incirlik claims denied

Meanwhile, Türkiye’s presidential communications directorate’s Center for Combating Disinformation denied claims circulating on social media that US B-1B Lancer bombers had used the Incirlik air base in the southern province of Adana.

In a statement posted on X, the center said the claims were misleading and that the images and videos being shared were old, dating back to routine training activities, and were unrelated to current regional conflicts.

It urged the public not to be misled by anonymous claims or provocative content from unofficial sources.