Ukrainian servicemen clean mortar shells during training in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, July 19, 2022. (EVGENIY MALOLETKA / AP)

KYIV/ISTANBUL – Forty-five more bodies of dead soldiers have been returned to Ukraine as part of another exchange with Russia, Ukraine's Ministry of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories said on Tuesday.

The operation to exchange the bodies of the soldiers killed in the Russia-Ukraine conflict was carried out by joint efforts of Ukraine's Commissioner for Missing Persons and the country's law enforcement agencies, the ministry's press service said in a statement on Tuesday.

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Last week, the commissioner, Oleg Kotenko, said that about 7,200 Ukrainian servicemen went missing since the start of the Russian special military operation in February.

Ukraine grain talks

As global concerns over food insecurity grow, Istanbul is preparing to host the second round of talks in anticipation of a solid outcome regarding the safe transportation of Ukrainian grain to international markets.

The approach of the Russian delegation during the last Istanbul meeting was very positive. The outcome of the talks will have a positive impact on the whole world.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President, Türkiye

The first round of negotiations among military delegations of Türkiye, Russia, and Ukraine, as well as representatives of the United Nations concluded last week with an agreement on the basic principles of the shipment process through the Black Sea.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Russia’s Vladimir Putin in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Tuesday to discuss the efforts to resume shipments from Ukraine.

“The outcome of the talks will have a positive impact on the whole world," Erdogan was quoted as saying by Türkiye's state-run Anadolu agency.

Erdogan's made the remarks before his one-on-one meeting with Putin ahead of a summit of leaders from the guarantor states of the Astana process, which was established to find a peaceful settlement in the Syrian crisis.

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An estimated 20 million tons of grain are waiting at ports in Ukraine due to the protracted crisis in this country, Anadolu earlier reported. The shipment suspensions have caused significant increases in food prices with growing concerns over a global food shortage.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, center, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pose for a photo prior to their talks at the Saadabad palace, in Tehran, Iran, July 19, 2022. (SERGEI SAVOSTYANOV, SPUTNIK, KREMLIN POOL PHOTO VIA AP)

Josep Borrell, the European Union high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, said the price hikes hit 60 percent in many African countries, putting significant pressure on their fragile economies.

European countries, which have suffered significantly from the cuts, are waiting for a positive outcome from the meeting in Istanbul, demanding the reopening of the ports for grain shipments.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Ukraine is among the top net exporters of wheat and grain products, upon which many developing nations rely.