On Wednesday (July 13), Russian and Ukrainian officials were scheduled to meet in Istanbul to discuss the delayed grain shipments that have driven up food prices worldwide, while Kyiv said that it has destroyed a Russian arms facility as the conflict continues.
Wheat and other grains like barley and maize are among the most popular exports from Ukraine, but shipments have been impeded by both Russian warships and mines that Kiev has planted across the Black Sea. Up to 25 million tonnes of grain, according to Ukraine, are currently being blocked in its ports.
The meetings, which will also be attended by a United Nations group, will be held in Turkey, which has led efforts to revive the crucial grain trade.
In addition to carrying out a "special operation" to release military prisoners in the Moscow-controlled Kherson region, Kyiv claimed to have launched artillery that destroyed a Russian weapons stockpile.
According to Ukrainian military officials, the strikes on Tuesday destroyed artillery, armored vehicles, and "and a warehouse with ammunition" in the Russian-occupied town of Nova Kakhovka.
"The occupiers have already felt very well what modern artillery is and they will not have a safe rear anywhere on our land," President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during his evening address.
Ukraine has been accused by Russian-backed authorities of destroying civilian infrastructure and killing at least seven people.
"Warehouses were hit, as were shops, a pharmacy, petrol stations, and even a church," Vladimir Leontiev, the head of the city's Moscow-backed administration said.
Ukrainian military intelligence also said its forces had freed five captives in Kherson during a "special operation," including a military serviceman and a former police officer, but did not specify when.
Turkey announced that talks between Moscow and Kyiv on Wednesday will attempt to break the impasse over allowing Ukrainian grain to leave its southern ports.
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar stated that they would concentrate "on the safe shipment of grain waiting in Ukrainian ports to international markets."
"Unblocking Ukrainian ports is one of the key components of global food security," Ukrainian presidential aide Andryi Yermak said.
Turkish officials say they have 20 merchant ships in the Black Sea ready to load Ukrainian grain and transport it to global markets.
A representative for the Russian foreign ministry emphasized that Moscow was coming into the meeting with a list of specific requests, including the right to search ships.
As the negotiations got underway, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres downplayed expectations, saying, "We are working hard, but there is still a way to go."
