Russia will resume grain deal to keep vital supplies leaving Ukraine’s ports

Putin has agreed to a renewed deal to keep shipping vital supplies to world’s neediest during Ukraine invasion
AP

Russia has agreed to rejoin a deal brokered by Turkey and the UN to keep vital grain supplies moving out of Ukraine’s ports and reaching the world’s hungriest.

The Black Sea agreement was a rare example of Russia-Ukraine cooperation during the war when it was signed in July to run until November 19 - with UN chief Antonio Guterres urging its renewal.

But Moscow suspended its participation in response to what it called a Ukrainian drone attack on its fleet on Saturday, an allegation Kyiv has denied.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the deal for a humanitarian grain corridor would “continue in the same way as before” as of noon Wednesday.

Erdogan said the renewed deal would prioritise shipments to African nations, including Somalia, Djibouti and Sudan, in line with Russia’s concerns that most of the grain exported since the agreement was first reached in July was ending up in richer nations.

The Russian Defence Ministry said Russia agreed to continue carrying out its role in the deal after receiving written guarantees from Kyiv that Ukraine would not use the sea corridor for military actions against Moscow.

FILE PHOTO: The Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship Razoni, carrying Ukrainian grain, is seen in the Black Sea off Kilyos, near Istanbul
The Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship Razoni, carrying Ukrainian grain, is seen in the Black Sea off Kilyos, near Istanbul
REUTERS

While still a member of Nato, an organisation Mr Putin is notoriously wary of, Turkey has remained closer than many states to the Kremlin throughout the Ukraine conflict.

Ships loaded with grain departed Ukraine on Tuesday despite Russia suspending its participation in the UN-brokered deal, which aimed to ensure safe passage of critical food supplies meant for parts of the world struggling with hunger. But the United Nations had said vessels would not move Wednesday, raising concerns about future shipments.

Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky had previously expressed outrage at Russia’s decision, adding: “Why is it that a handful of people somewhere in the Kremlin can decide whether there will be food on the tables of people in Egypt or Bangladesh?”

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