Russia Denies Selling Stolen Grain From Ukraine, Turkey Immediately Launches Investigation

Ilustrasi ladang gandum. (Wikimedia Commons / Вадим Анохин)

JAKARTA - Russia through Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it denied allegations that they had stolen wheat from Ukraine and sold it to various countries, including Turkey.

Peskov commented on a statement from Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu who said Ankara had launched an investigation following Kyiv's claims that Russia had sold "stolen Ukrainian grain to Turkey".

"It is the Foreign Ministry that should be questioned. Russia does not steal grain," Peskov told reporters, quoted from TASS April 24.

Yesterday, Foreign Minister Cavusoglu rejected Ukraine's accusations against Ankara, for allegedly buying 'stolen' wheat from Moscow. He stressed that Turkey took the allegations seriously and carried out an investigation, making sure that the wheat actually belonged to Russia or not.

"But we are also against the illegal sale of Ukrainian (stolen) goods, not allowing their sale in Turkey," the Turkish Foreign Minister stressed

"We take each claim seriously and carry out an investigation based on these claims. We see that the port of departure of the ship and the origin of the goods in the records is Russia, based on the investigations we carried out after the claims were made about Turkey," he told a news conference with British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss in Ankara, as reported by Reuters.

Earlier, in an interview with Reuters on June 3, Ukraine's Ambassador to Turkey Vasily Bodnar said Turkey was among several countries buying wheat allegedly "stolen" by Russia from Ukraine.

However, he added, he had asked Turkey for help in identifying and arresting those responsible for the alleged shipment.

It is known that Russia and Ukraine account for nearly a third of the global grain supply, while Russia also exports Ukrainian fertilizers and corn and sunflower oils. However, shipments of Ukrainian grain from its Black Sea ports have stalled since Russia invaded, with some 20 million tonnes of grain held back.

The United Nations has called on the two countries, as well as maritime neighbor Turkey, to create a sea corridor for Ukrainian grain to be exported from the Black Sea. Ankara, which has backed the UN-led plan, has held talks with Moscow and the UN, but says all parties need to meet to reach a final agreement.