A day after Russia re-joined a pact to permit shipments in the Black Sea, six grain ships departed Ukraine’s ports on Thursday, the defense minister of Turkey reported.
“After the resumption of the grain initiative, six ships left Ukrainian ports,” Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said, according to Anadolu news agency.
Moscow announced its temporary withdrawal from the grain pact on Saturday, blaming Ukraine for using the safe maritime lane created by the agreement to launch a drone attack on its Black Sea fleet.
Turkish officials and United Nations representatives, who mediated the July deal, engaged in frenzied diplomacy to rescue the arrangement intended to help the global food crisis brought on by Russia’s conflict in Ukraine.
On Wednesday, the Russian defense ministry declared that it had obtained sufficient assurances from Kiev that it wouldn’t conduct strikes using the maritime corridor.
