Russia U-turn on Ukraine grain shipments – rejoins deal after ‘sufficient’ guarantees from Kyiv
- Russia’s defence ministry confirmed it was resuming participation after stopping exports after Putin demanded ‘real guarantees’ from Kyiv
- The Türkiye and UN-brokered agreement signed in July by Kyiv and Moscow is crucial to easing a global food crisis caused by the war
Grain export shipments from Ukraine resumed on Wednesday as Russia said it was rejoining a deal brokered by the UN and Türkiye to establish a safe Black Sea corridor.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told parliament that “shipments will continue from 12pm today as planned”, after a call between the Russian and Turkish defence ministers.
Russia’s defence ministry confirmed it was resuming participation, saying it had received “sufficient” guarantees from Kyiv on demilitarising the maritime corridor.
“Russia considers that the received guarantees are at the moment sufficient and is resuming the implementation of the agreement,” the ministry said.
The deal, overseen by the Joint Coordination Centre in Istanbul, has allowed more than 9.7 million metric tonnes of grain and other foodstuffs to leave Ukrainian ports.
This has brought much-needed relief to a global food crisis triggered by Russia’s campaign in Ukraine, a major grain exporter.
