Ankara may declare at NATO-Ukraine Council that country to deal with "grain deal" on its own - expert

President of the Centre for Global Studies "Strategy XXI" Mykhailo Gonchar predicts that no radical decisions will be made at the July 26 meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council regarding the transportation of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea due to Turkey's special position in the Alliance and the Black Sea region.

President of the Centre for Global Studies "Strategy XXI" Mykhailo Gonchar said this opinion in a comment to Ukrinform.

"I don't have high expectations (of the NATO-Ukraine Council meeting - ed.) From my point of view, it will most likely be limited to moral, psychological, political and diplomatic support for Ukraine. And here, perhaps, the problem is not so much with the Alliance as with Turkey's special position both within NATO and in the Black Sea region. I assume that Turkey may insist that it will resolve this issue (transportation of Ukrainian grain - ed.) later in the course of a certain dialogue with Russia," Gonchar said.

According to him, the rhetoric, which has changed in recent days on both the Turkish and Russian sides, means that the parties are now negotiating.

In this context, the President of the Centre for Global Studies noted that there should be no illusions, Turkey is simply trying to make money both literally and figuratively on both sides of the armed conflict.

Gonchar noted that this has happened before, and now Turkey wants to continue this line and not only get another discount on grain from us and on oil and gas from Russia but also demonstrate that the country is indispensable in the Alliance and can solve all issues in the Black Sea on its own.

According to the expert, this is convenient for NATO, which has traditionally taken a restrained position on the Black Sea, and for Romania and Bulgaria, which feel protected and do not feel a great need for active action in the region.

Summing up, Gonchar predicted that tomorrow's meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council will result in a statement in support of Ukraine and a call for Russia to return to the grain deal.

"And what they (NATO member states - ed.) basically have to do is to take the UN "umbrella", get concerned about the problem of possible hunger in Africa and solve the issue of creating a humanitarian corridor, that is, organize a cargo escort operation. They have an appropriate NATO mine countermeasures group in the Mediterranean Sea that regularly conducts exercises, they can do this, and Russia can do nothing about it," the president of the Centre for Global Studies "Strategy XXI" is convinced.

As reported, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is convening a meeting of the newly created NATO-Ukraine Council on July 26 to consult on Russia's latest actions and discuss the transportation of Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea. The meeting will be held at the ambassadorial level.