Russia, Ukraine reach deal on grain exports with UN, Turkey mediating

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Russian and Ukrainian defence and infrastructure ministers signed an agreement on Friday to allow for Ukraine’s grain exports to safely move through the Black Sea and into the world, after a deal stuck in Istanbul with mediation by Turkey and the United Nations (UN).

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hailed the deal as a step towards preventing the danger of hunger that millions face, and a move to control global food inflation.

He said vessels will start moving into the Black Sea in the coming days, and thanked Presidents Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin for their co-operation.

Erdoğan reiterated calls for ending the war, and hoped the deal will be a turning point to revive hopes for a peaceful end to the conflict.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said exports from Ukraine will come through three key Ukrainian Black Sea cities: Odesa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny.

A blockade of Ukrainian ports by Russia's Black Sea fleet – trapping tens of millions of tonnes of grain in silos and stranding many ships – has worsened global supply chain bottlenecks, and along with sweeping Western sanctions, stoked galloping inflation in food and energy prices around the world.

Senior UN officials, briefing reporters on Friday, said the deal was expected to be fully operational in a few weeks.