On Wednesday, after a convoy of ships disregarded President Vladimir Putin and sailed out of Ukraine nonetheless, Russia dropped its attempt to halt food supplies from Ukraine.
Moscow announced in a statement on Wednesday that it will continue operations in the arrangement after receiving guarantees from Ukraine that it wouldn't utilise the sea corridor for military objectives. Moscow had suspended its participation in the agreement over the weekend.
The statement read, "We succeeded to acquire the required written pledges from Ukraine not to utilise the humanitarian corridor and Ukrainian ports for military attacks against the Russian Federation. Thanks to the involvement of the international organisation, as well as the help of Turkey.
Russia, according to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who helped arrange the agreement alongside the UN
According to Reuters, Russian officials informed Turkey that operations would resume as of Wednesday noon, according to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who assisted the UN and other parties in negotiating the agreement.
A request for response from Insider was not immediately reacted to by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.
The historic grain agreement between Moscow and Kyiv, negotiated in July, was intended to prevent agricultural items, particularly grain, from leaving Ukraine, a key producer of food, in the midst of the conflict.
However, after what it claimed was a Ukrainian drone attack on Russian military ships in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol, Russia announced over the weekend that it would cease participation in the agreement for a "indefinite duration."
Russian officials asserted that they could not "ensure the safety of civilian ships" following the attack without offering any supporting data. According to the BBC, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the action as "quite foreseeable."
Unauthorized ships will still be allowed to leave Ukraine, a UN official said on Tuesday, despite the country's withdrawal.
According to Ismini Palla, a UN spokesperson, three cargo ships carrying corn, wheat, and sunflower oil were tracked Tuesday as they sailed from Ukrainian ports and headed for Istanbul. She also stated that Moscow had been informed of the departures.
Ukraine, known as the "breadbasket of Europe," provides over 40% of the world's wheat supplies.
According to The Guardian, the pact is essential to resolving the global food crisis brought on by the conflict because food from Ukraine is transported throughout the world, especially to countries suffering from drought as part of relief programmes.
If such a food export agreement was not reached, the World Food Programme earlier this year cautioned that Russia's invasion may end in a "hunger catastrophe."
In order to add to the food shortages, the head of the European Council in June also charged Russian troops with setting fire to Ukrainian fields and stealing wheat.
