Ukraine is in talks with Turkey and the United Nations (UN) to secure grain exports from Ukrainian ports, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday.

Zelenskiy, at a press conference with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, said, “Actually, we are currently in talks with Turkey and the UN (and) our representatives responsible for the safety of the grain leaving our ports.”

“It’s very important to guarantee the safety of ships for this or that country, except for Russia, which we do not trust. So we need security for the ships that come here to load food.”

Zelenskiy said that Ukraine is working “directly” with UN Secretary-General António Guterres on the issue, and that the organization “plays a leading role, not a moderator”.

In the news in recent weeks, it has been suggested that such talks will soon be held in Turkey.

Ukraine, one of the world’s largest grain exporters, accuses Russia of obstructing the movement of its ships, and Zelenskiy said that 22 million tons of grain are currently stalled, with a new crop of around 60 million tons expected for that. year.

Russia refuses to block any grain shipments and says Ukraine is responsible for the lack of movement in its ports.

Ukraine has also accused Russia of stealing grain from its warehouses and taking it out of the country – whether it be to Russian-occupied territories, Russia itself or other countries.

Turkey has stopped a Russian-flagged cargo ship off the coast of the Black Sea and is investigating an alleged Ukrainian carrying stolen grain, a Turkish official said on Monday.