The spokesman for the Turkish presidency said on Sunday that there is “a high probability” that a first ship carrying Ukrainian grain could leave the port of Odessa, Ukraine on Monday morning, under the terms of a deal reached on July 22. with Russia.

The spokesman, however, specified that there are still “one or two issues to be resolved in the negotiations with the Russians.”

“The ships are ready to go”

“The preparations have reached a point that would allow the ships to leave the port of Odessa. The ships have been loaded, they are ready to go, but good logistics coordination is needed,” he added.

The resumption of exports was also mentioned at a meeting between Turkey’s Defense Minister and Ukraine’s Defense and Infrastructure Ministers, Ankara announced on Sunday.

A global food crisis

The Joint Coordination Center (JCC), responsible for controlling Ukraine’s grain exports through the Black Sea, was officially opened on Wednesday in Istanbul in accordance with the agreements signed on July 22.

The deal to lift the blockade, the first significant text involving both sides since the conflict began, is aimed at alleviating a global food crisis that has sent prices soaring in some of the world’s poorest countries.

The CCC must register and control the merchant ships that will participate in the convoys, ensure their monitoring via the Internet and by satellite, have the ships inspected at the time of loading in Ukrainian ports and upon arrival in Turkish ports.