An employee of the Romanian grain handling operator Comvex oversees the unloading of Ukrainian cereals from a barge in the Black Sea port of Constanta, Romania, on June 21, 2022. (PHOTO / AP)
WASHINGTON – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday held a phone call with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on issues including the now collapsed Black Sea Grain Initiative, the US State Department said.
According to a US statement, Blinken "thanked Türkiye for its leadership in the Black Sea Grain Initiative."
The initiative, which allowed Ukraine to export its grain and other agricultural products from its Black Sea ports, was brokered by Türkiye and the United Nations in July 2022 and expired last month after Russia suspended its participation in the agreement.
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The two officials also discussed Sweden's NATO accession protocol, according to the statement.
