Washington, June 26 (Representative) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has discussed the Ukraine crisis and “NATO unity” with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said.”Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke today with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Cavusoglu discussed the importance of NATO unity in the lead up to the June 29-30 NATO Summit in Madrid,” Price said in a Saturday statement.He added that Blinken and Cavusoglu also discussed ongoing support for Ukraine.”The Secretary expressed appreciation for the Foreign Minister’s diplomatic efforts to enable Ukrainian agricultural exports to reach global markets,” Price said. Earlier on Saturday, the Turkish foreign ministry’s press service told Sputnik that Blinken and Cavusoglu held a telephone conversation discussing “NATO enlargement and grain shipments from Ukraine.”
Amid Moscow’s ongoing special military operation in Ukraine, Western countries have accused Russia of blocking grain shipments in the Black Sea ports. Earlier in June, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that there were no obstacles to the export of grain from Ukraine. Ships carrying wheat will be able to leave the Black Sea without any problems if Kiev clears the ports of mines it deployed to stall the Russian offensive. On May 18, nearly three months since the start of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, Finland and Sweden submitted their NATO membership applications. Turkey has blocked consideration of Finland’s and Sweden’s applications over concerns about their long-standing support for the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) that Ankara regards as a terrorist organization and a serious threat to its national security.