Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war in a phone conversation on Friday, addressing possible solutions to the food crisis generated by the conflict.

Draghi’s office confirmed the call, earlier announced by Zelenskyy on Twitter, and said the two leaders explored options to resume wheat exports from Ukrainian ports.

Draghi assured the Ukrainian leader of Italy’s support in coordination with the rest of the European Union.

The two evaluated ways to restart grain exports to avert the food crisis threatening the world’s poorest countries.

Zelenskyy said on Twitter that he informed Draghi of the situation on the frontlines and asked for additional military support from Kyiv’s partners.

The Ukrainian leader added that he raised the question of fuel supplies while stressing that “we have to unblock Ukrainian ports together.”

Draghi’s office said Zelenskyy appreciated the Italian government’s efforts and agreed to continue discussions with the Italian prime minister.

On Thursday, Draghi spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin, pushing him to take steps to stave off a global food crisis that would have devastating consequences./aa

Turkiye's president on Friday spoke in support of the country's economic policy program, underlining that it is consistent, scientific, and suitable given the current realities of the world.

Speaking at an event organized by Turkiye's Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK), President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed that the country is looking for an economic solution that promotes production, employment, and exports rather than the imposition of linked interest and inflation.

Despite the escalating global economic crisis, Turkiye is aware of the opportunities to use its potential more effectively, efficiently, and widely, Erdogan underlined.

On the production side, the country is in a favorable position in terms of employment and exports, with the current foreign exchange rates at a level that protects competitiveness, even if they affect indicators negatively, he said.

Erdogan also noted that the reason for the deterioration in Turkiye's current account deficit and budget balances were expenditures on energy, which increased five to ten-fold in many fields.

All countries in the world are facing similar problems, he added, including those that normally have current account surpluses, from South Korea to Japan and the EU.

"Hopefully, we will quickly compensate for the decline in the level of welfare by taking measures to curb the cost of living, which negatively affects the daily lives of our people, and increasing the incomes of all segments of society," he said./aa

In their small village scarred by the war with Russia, residents of Buzova are trying to heal from the effects of the conflict.

Located near the capital Kyiv, Buzova was targeted by Russian forces in the early days of the war, now over three months old.

Some civilians were killed in the village, while homes, hospitals, and the school were bombarded by Russian tanks and armored vehicles.

The buildings, which were heavily damaged by Russian tank shells, are now inhabited by stray animals.

Despite everything, Buzova residents remain hopeful of the future and seek to return to their normal lives.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Lyubov Ilchenko, deputy manager of the vocational school in Buzova, asked why Russia attacked their school.

"I still don't understand why the Russians hit schools, hospitals, and kindergartens in the village," he said.

Underlining that no Ukrainian soldiers were near the school when it was attacked, he said the Russian forces continued to hit the building for about a month since the war began on Feb. 28.

"There's a crime committed against us ... Real soldiers can't do that. They're fighting civilians, children -- not soldiers."

About 200 civilians took shelter in the school's basement during the Russian attack, he added.

Children traumatized

Besides the village's adult population, children are also suffering from the psychological trauma of the war, Ilchenko said.

"Our children were adversely affected by the attacks and still can't recover. Some shout and cry at night, afraid when they hear a noise. Our children went through terrible times," he said.

The village's people plan to rebuild the school for the children, hoping that "goodwill triumph over evil," Ilchenko said.

Alexander Avdiyenko, warden of Buzova's hospital, told Anadolu Agency that Russian forces targeted the facility on March 6.

A fire broke out in the building due to the Russian bombardment, he said, adding: "There was no one in the village to put out the fire because people were hiding in the basement of their houses. That's why our hospital burned down."

Villagers had to go to the hospitals of neighboring towns and Avdiyenko hopes the war will end as soon as possible./aa

Russia is considering a proposal to temporarily ban rice exports from July 1.

A draft document prepared by the Russian Agriculture Ministry, which still needs government approval, recommends a ban from July 1 to Dec. 31.

Moscow has already restricted exports of sunflower oil to maintain stability in the domestic market.

It has also imposed a temporary ban on exports of sugar and sugarcane worldwide and grain exports to the Eurasian Economic Union./aa

Russia deliberately targeted Ukraine’s oil refineries and factories to create a crisis in the country, the Ukrainian president said on Friday.

In a virtual address at an event organized by Jakarta-based think tank Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine lost up to $5 billion and needs help from the world and the European Union to make up for its losses.

Regarding export of grain and cooking oil from Ukraine, Zelenskyy said Russia has cut Ukraine’s flow of exports by blocking the Black Sea.

“We cannot send these products, which the world needs, to the global market,” he said, warning that it will create a global food crisis.

The Ukrainian president added: “We are working to redirect our exports to new routes as much as possible amid the war.”

To a question about the G20 Summit to be held in Indonesia’s Bali island later this year, Zelenskyy said he would attend the summit remotely, adding: “What do we want from this meeting … we want our lives back. We want to reclaim our sovereignty.”​​​​​​​/aa

The family of the 1993 Solingen arson attack victims has called for stronger unity against racism and right-wing extremism in Germany.

Kamil Genc, who lost his two daughters and two sisters in the racist attack, called on people to join the commemoration events on Sunday, in the western city of Solingen.

“If more people come here, we would be able to demonstrate our unity in a stronger way,” he told Anadolu Agency.

The house of the Turkish immigrant family was set ablaze on May 29, 1993, by four far-right extremists, who were later arrested and sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison.

Genc said although many pledges are made in the past years to combat racism, far-right remains a serious problem in the country.

“I very much hope that one day we’ll get rid of racism. But as long as Nazi groups continue to exist even within the state, I don’t think that this will easily come to an end,” he said.

Mevlude Genc, who lost her two daughters, two grandchildren, and a niece in the attack, said that their pain will never go away.

She underlined the importance of solidarity between the Turkish and German communities, in order to prevent similar racist attacks in future.

“Let’s put an end to describing people as native Germans, and foreigners. We are part of this country,” she stressed.


“Let’s support each other, embrace each other, share each other’s pain,” she added.

At least 218 innocent people have been killed in Germany by the neo-Nazi violence since 1989, according to the Amadeu Antonio Foundation.

The country has witnessed growing racism in recent years fueled by far-right parties, which have exploited fears over the refugee crisis and terrorism.

Right-wing extremists and neo-Nazis carried out 1,042 violent attacks last year targeting immigrants, refugees or political opponents, according to the German Interior Ministry. At least 590 people were injured in those attacks.

German state authorities have long been under criticism for underestimating the far-right threat and not seriously investigating crimes committed by right-wing extremists.

*Mesut Zeyrek contributed to this report from Cologne./aa