Ukraine war: Moscow rejoins grain deal; Russian missile strikes continue; and UK sanctions
Here are the latest news developments from Russia's war in Ukraine.
Russia has performed an abrupt U-turn and again agreed to allow the safe shipment of millions of tonnes of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea.
Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu told his Turkish counterpart on Wednesday that Moscow has agreed to return to the Turkish and UN-brokered deal.
In a statement, the ministry later confirmed that Ukraine had pledged not to use a designated Black Sea corridor to attack Russian forces.
"The Russian Federation considers that the guarantees received at the moment appear sufficient, and resumes the implementation of the agreement," the ministry statement said.
Moscow had suspended its participation in the grain deal over the weekend, citing allegations of a Ukrainian drone attack against its Black Sea fleet.
The defence ministry also said it would summon the UK ambassador to Moscow, claiming that "British specialists" were involved in the drone strike in Crimea. Ukraine did not claim responsibility for the attack and Britain has denied involvement.
The Russian Defence Ministry said on Monday that "unacceptable" ship traffic from ports in southern Ukraine was halted. Ships loaded with grain departed Ukraine on Tuesday despite Russia's absence from the deal.
Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said Moscow had informed Ankara that the grain corridor agreement would “continue in the same way as before”.
Erdogan said on Wednesday that the deal would prioritise the shipment of critical food supplies to African nations, including Somalia, Djibouti, and Sudan.
UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths has stated that 23% of the total cargo exported from Ukraine under the grain deal went to lower or lower-to-middle-income
Read more on euronews.com
