Russia agrees to rejoin Ukraine grain export deal

Russia has said it will rejoin a UN-backed agreement to allow the export of grain from Ukraine via a safe Black Sea corridor, with shipments expected to resume on Wednesday.

Russia’s defence ministry confirmed that Moscow would again participate, saying it had received “sufficient” guarantees from Kyiv that it would not use the maritime corridor for military operations against Russia.

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“Russia considers that the received guarantees are, at the moment, sufficient and is resuming the implementation of the agreement,” the ministry said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier that Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu had told his Turkish counterpart that the grain deal, brokered by Turkey and the United Nations, would continue to operate as of midday on Wednesday.

Erdogan told parliament that “shipments will continue from 12pm today [09:00 GMT] as planned”.

Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar, reporting from Istanbul, says Turkey’s role in bringing Russia back to the initiative highlights that Ankara is now the “de facto mediator” between Moscow and Kyiv.