Russia Resumes Participation In Ukraine Grain Deal, Defense Ministry Says

A cargo ship loaded with grain is inspected in the anchorage area of the southern entrance to the Bosphorus in Istanbulon October 31.

The Russian Defense Ministry has said Moscow is resuming its participation in the Ukraine grain deal, saying it had received "sufficient" guarantees from Kyiv on demilitarizing a maritime corridor.

"Russia considers that the received guarantees are at the moment sufficient and is resuming the implementation of the agreement," the ministry said in a statement.

The statement came after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told parliament that "shipments will continue from 12 p.m. today as planned," after a call between the Russian and Turkish defense ministers.

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Zelenskiy hailed the development as "a significant diplomatic result for our country and the whole world." In his nightly address, he said the implementation of the grain export initiative continues.

Zelenskiy also said that Russia's call for guarantees showed the failure of Russia's aggression.

After eight months of war, "the Kremlin is demanding security guarantees from Ukraine," he said. "This shows both the failure of the Russian aggression and how strong we are when we remain united."

Earlier, in a tweet, Zelenskiy thanked Erdogan "for his steadfast support of [the] sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine."

The United States also welcomed the restoration of the grain deal and urged Russia to renew it beyond November 19, its current expiration date.

State Department spokesman Ned Price praised UN and Turkish mediators but said it was important that the deal is "not only set back in motion, but it's renewed later this month."

"That will ultimately inject even more predictability and stability in this marketplace and, most importantly, apply downward pressure to the prices" of global food, he told reporters.

Moscow pulled out of the UN-brokered deal on October 30 after its Black Sea Fleet based in Crimea's Sevastopol port was targeted by drones in what Russia called a "terrorist attack."

The Defense Ministry said it was able to get written guarantees from Kyiv "thanks to the participation" of the UN and "assistance" from Turkey.

The ministry said Kyiv guaranteed "the nonuse of the humanitarian corridor and Ukrainian ports defined in the interests of the export of agricultural products for conducting military operations against the Russian Federation."

The announcement came after Russian President Vladimir Putin told Erdogan that he wanted "real guarantees" from Kyiv before rejoining the deal.

Putin spoke with Erdogan before Russia announced it was reentering the deal. He said later on November 2 that Russia would again leave it if Kyiv violated security guarantees.

"Russia retains the right to leave these agreements if these guarantees from Ukraine are violated," Putin said in televised comments.

But he added that even if Moscow withdraws again, it would not interfere with grain deliveries from Ukraine to Turkey. He cited Turkey's neutrality, the grain processing industry in Turkey, and Erdogan's mediation efforts as reasons for Moscow's stance.

Ukraine had condemned Russia's decision to leave the UN-brokered deal, with Western countries urging Moscow to reconsider.

The deal, overseen by the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul, has allowed more than 9.7 million metric tons of grains and other foodstuffs to leave Ukrainian ports.

It was agreed in July and played a crucial role in driving down the prices of wheat and other commodities globally and helping poor countries in Africa and Asia avoid famine.

Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said Russia has yet to decide if it will remain part of the deal beyond the expiration date.

The extension of the deal beyond November 19 is "a separate issue" and that decision will be made "taking into account all the accompanying factors," Rudenko was quoted as saying by state news agency RIA Novosti.

He reiterated Moscow's displeasure with the implementation of the deal.

Grain exports are a key revenue source for Ukraine, whose economy has been devastated by Russia's eight-month war.

With reporting by Reuters and AFP