Grain export deal: Turkey and UN resume inspection of ships

Turkey and the UN have resumed inspections of ships after Russia pulled out from the grain export deal. The UN agreed with Ukraine and Turkey for 12 ships to depart on Monday.

The first ship was allowed to depart after the collapse of the grain export deal, a UN official said, Reuters reports.

Turkey and the UN resumed inspections of ships from Ukrainian ports after Russia suspended participation in the grain export deal. The UN agreed with Ukraine and Turkey on a plan for 16 ships: 12 of them should leave ports, the rest should arrive on Monday, October 31.

According to ship tracking services, two bulk carriers, Admiral de Ribas and Mount Baker loaded with grain and other agricultural products left Ukrainian ports on Monday.

Meanwhile, France is working to ensure that Ukraine can export food via land routes rather than the Black Sea, Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty Marc Fesneau told RMC Radio, quoted by Reuters.

"We want to understand whether food products can be transported by land if they can't be transported via the Black Sea," Fesneau said adding that Romania and Poland could be used as possible transportation routes.

Turkey and the UN concluded the grain export deal separately with Russia and Ukraine in July. On October 29, Russia suspended its participation in the deal that guaranteed the safe passage of ships carrying Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea.

Following the drone attack on Russian warships of the Black Sea Fleet and civilian vessels in Sevastopol, the Russian Defense Ministry announced on Saturday that it was pulling out of the deal.

According to the ministry, the attacked Russian warships ensured the security of the grain corridor. The Ministry of Defense accused specialists of the British Navy located in Ukraine's Ochakiv, Mykolaiv region, in preparing the attack and training the Ukrainian military.

The EU and the US urged Moscow to restore the deal. According to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko, this will become possible after the circumstances of the attack on the ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet are clarified.