A total of six ships loaded with grain left Ukrainian ports on Thursday following the agreement to reactivate the pact reached in June, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar announced as part of the mediation efforts carried out by Ankara.
«Following the restart of the grain initiative, six ships have left Ukrainian ports. Thus, the number of ships that have left port exceeds 426, with total grain transported exceeding 9.7 million tons (of grain),» he detailed, Turkish state news agency Anatolia reported.
«We will now intensify our efforts within the framework determined by our president (Recep Tayyip Erdogan) for the extension of the grain initiative, which will expire on November 19,» he explained, before showing Turkey’s «sincere will» for the conflict to be concluded through peaceful means.
Hours after Wednesday’s announcement of the reactivation of the pact, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that he will again order Russia’s exit from the pact if Ukraine fails to comply with its commitments, in particular on security. On the other hand, he guaranteed that he would not hinder the shipment of grain from Ukraine to Turkey, which he considers «neutral».
The United Nations and Turkey acted as mediators prior to the signing in July and also during the implementation of the commitments made. For his part, Erdogan has in recent hours launched a new round of contacts with the parties to try to reach an agreement on an extension of this measure.
