6 more grain ships leave Ukrainian ports under Istanbul deal: Türkiye

By Iclal Turan

ISTANBUL (AA) - Six more ships have left Ukrainian ports under the Istanbul grain export deal, the Turkish National Defense Ministry said on Sunday.

Shipments from Ukrainian ports are continuing, said a ministry statement, adding: "Six more ships loaded with grain departed from Ukrainian ports this morning."

In July, Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed a historic agreement in Istanbul to resume grain exports from Ukrainian Black Sea ports which were halted due to the Russia-Ukraine war, now in its seventh month.

A Joint Coordination Center was set up in Istanbul with officials of the three countries and the UN overseeing the shipments.

According to Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov, as of Friday, 44 ships have left Ukrainian ports under the deal, carrying a million tons of food to 15 countries worldwide.

"We are ready to increase our volumes to 3 M tons per month to prevent global food shortage," he wrote on Twitter.