Moscow/Istanbul, Nov. 2, (dpa/GNA) - Russia has ended its suspension of an agreement allowing the export of grain via Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, the Defence Ministry in Moscow said on Wednesday.
With the help of Turkish mediation, Ukraine promised not to use the sea corridor for hostilities against Russia, the ministry said.
Russian Defence Minister Shoigu called his Turkish counterpart to confirm that grain shipments would continue “starting from 12 o’clock today,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Wednesday.
The Turkish Defence Ministry then separately confirmed that shipments had started at noon (0900 GMT) as promised.
The deal to export grain was suspended by the Kremlin on Saturday after a vessel belonging to its Black Sea Fleet was damaged in a Ukrainian drone strike.
The UN, Ankara and Kiev agreed to continue the shipments even without assurances of free passage from Russia.
On Tuesday, three more grain-loaded cargo vessels left Ukrainian ports, bound for Germany, Libya and Morocco, the UN said.
Ukraine is a key global supplier of grain. Moscow has been accused of exacerbating a global food crisis, especially in developing countries, by blocking Ukrainian exports.
Nearly 10 million tons of grain has left Ukraine since the July agreement, according to the UN.
Impoverished nations in Africa, including Somalia, Djibouti and Sudan, will be given priority regarding new grain shipments from Ukraine, Erdoğan said.
GNA