This is the last article you can read this month
You can read more article this month
You can read more articles this month
Sorry your limit is up for this month
Reset on:
Please help support the Morning Star by subscribing here
RUSSIA agreed today to resume its participation in a deal brokered by Turkey and the UN to keep grain and other commodities moving out of Ukraine’s ports, Turkey’s president said.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu had informed Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar that the deal for a humanitarian grain corridor would “continue in the same way as before” as of noon Wednesday.
Mr Erdogan said that 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 agreements 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 Kiev that Ukraine would not use the sea corridor for military actions against Moscow, according to a statement by the Russian Defence Ministry.
Russia suspended its participation in the grain deal over the weekend, citing allegations of a Ukrainian drone attack against its Black Sea fleet.
The Russian Defence Ministry said on Monday that ship traffic from ports in southern Ukraine had been halted, calling the movement “unacceptable.”
The Defence Ministry said yesterday that Ukraine had formally committed to using the safe shipping corridors through the Black Sea “exclusively in accordance with the stipulations of the Black Sea initiative,” a reference to the separate UN and Turkey-backed agreements signed by Moscow and Kiev on July 22.
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 UN had said that vessels would not move on Wednesday, raising concerns about future shipments.
The UN and Turkey brokered separate deals with Russia and Ukraine in July to ensure Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia would receive grain and other food from the Black Sea region during Russia’s war in Ukraine.
