Erdoğan and Zelenskiy Agree on Grain Corridor

November 1, 2026 · Bloomberg HT

Turkish President Erdoğan and Ukrainian President Zelenskiy decided to work jointly on the Black Sea Grain Corridor and navigation safety during their meeting in Istanbul.

Grain Corridor Back on the Agenda

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenskiy met at the Presidential Dolmabahçe Office in Istanbul. Following the official meeting, which lasted approximately 1.5 hours, critical issues closely concerning global agricultural markets were announced at a joint press conference. Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenskiy emphasized the importance of agricultural shipments in his assessment of the meeting:

'We dedicated a significant portion of our discussions to Black Sea issues, to the common security area we share with Turkey and our neighbors in the region. Today, President Erdoğan and I agreed to work on the Black Sea Grain Corridor.'

Emphasis on Navigation Safety in the Black Sea

The sustainability of agricultural trade and maritime transport over the Black Sea was a major topic at the joint meeting. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated that stability in the region must be preserved and made the following statement regarding navigation safety:

'We exchanged views on ensuring navigation safety in the Black Sea. We are actively working to maintain security and stability in the Black Sea. It is clear that attacks on civilian vessels and steps that would escalate tensions in the Black Sea will not benefit anyone. Regardless of who they come from or their justification, it is impossible for us to accept these attacks. We will continue our discussions with the parties to re-establish navigation safety in the Black Sea. Today, we also reaffirmed our commitment to the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of Ukraine, our strategic partner. The entry into force of the Free Trade Agreement as of October 1 has constituted an important step. This agreement has brought us one step closer to our trade volume target of $10 billion.'

Trade Targets and Cooperation

The leaders highlighted the deepening economic relations between the two countries and stated that mutual cooperation in agricultural and industrial fields will continue to increase in line with the agreements that have entered into force.

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