Russia says it will rejoin Black Sea grain deal

Russia will resume its cooperation with a diplomatic agreement brokered by Turkey and the United Nations to facilitate the export of Ukrainian foodstuffs, its defense ministry said Wednesday.

The U-turn came after talks on Tuesday between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Moscow on Saturday suspended its involvement in the agreement that has allowed Ukraine to ship some 10 million tons of foodstuffs onto the world market, helping to allay a global food affordability crisis.

“The Russian Federation believes that the guarantees received at this time are adequate and resumes implementation of the agreement,” Russia’s defense ministry said on Telegram.

The statement makes clear that Russia wanted guarantees Ukraine would not use the corridor to launch attacks on its navy, and it alleges that this is what happened in the drone strike against its fleet at the Black Sea port of Sevastopol in Crimea last weekend.

Ukraine has rejected that and the U.N. has said no ships were traveling through the corridor at the time the attack took place.

Erdoğan also said that Russia would resume cooperation, having held talks with Putin, according to Reuters. Erdoğan added that shipments would now flow Wednesday, despite a previous plan not to transport any food until Thursday.

Amir Mahmoud Abdulla, the U.N. coordinator of the Black Sea grain initiative, said he welcomed Russia’s decision to return to the deal. “Grateful for the Turkish facilitation. Looking forward to working again with all parties in the Initiative,” he tweeted.

Even though Russia had said it could no longer guarantee the security of the corridor, Turkey, the U.N. and Ukraine kept the deal working Monday and Tuesday, merely informing Russia of their operations.

The deal, signed by the four sides in Istanbul in July, will need to be renewed around November 19. Ukraine, the U.N. and Turkey have been pressing for a much longer extension, while Russia has wanted to improve the situation for its own food and fertilizer exports.

Wilhelmine Preussen contributed reporting.