Russia is set to resume its participation in the Ukraine grain export deal, the country’s defence ministry has confirmed.
Moscow pulled out of the UN-brokered agreement over the weekend following what it called a “terrorist attack” on its fleet of Black Sea ships in Crimea by Ukrainian forces.
The country said it could not guarantee the safety of civilian ships crossing the popular trade route following the incident.
“The Russian Federation considers that the guarantees received at the moment appear sufficient, and resumes the implementation of the agreement,” the defence ministry said as it announced it would restart exports.
The deal enables the shipment of millions of tonnes of Ukrainian grain through blockaded ports.
Turkey confirmed the news, saying that Russia’s Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu had told his Turkish counterpart that operations would restart as of midday on Wednesday.
“The grain transports will continue as agreed before as of 12pm today,” Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan said.
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Ships have continued to carry Ukrainian grain along the route, despite the suspension, but it was unlikely that this would have continued for much longer as insurance companies stopped issuing new contracts.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been calling for world leaders to respond firmly to any attempts by Russia to disrupt the export corridor.
The route across the Black Sea has been blocked since the beginning of Russia’s invasion.
As a result, food shortages across several countries have been exacerbated, with Ukraine being one of the world’s biggest grain suppliers.
