Russia renews vital grain deal with Ukraine after saying it would withdraw over alleged drone attack
Russia has said it will allow exports of Ukrainian grain and other commodities to reach world markets after signalling it planned to pull out of a United Nations brokered deal.
The change in stance comes in the wake of Ukraine pledging not to use a designated Black Sea corridor to attack Russian forces.
But Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Moscow reserves the right to withdraw again from the agreement if Kyiv breaks its word.
According to Russian state news agencies, he told a Security Council meeting that: "We demanded assurances and guarantees from the Ukrainian side that... humanitarian corridors will not be used for military purposes.
"I have given instructions to the Ministry of Defence to resume our full participation in this work."
The Russian leader praised Turkey’s mediation efforts to get the deal back on track as well as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s "neutrality in the conflict as a whole" and his efforts at "ensuring the interest of the poorest countries".
Mr Erdogan said the renewed deal would resume on Wednesday, prioritising shipments to African nations, including Somalia, Djibouti and Sudan.
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Russia had suspended its participation in the trade deal over the weekend, citing allegations of a Ukrainian drone attack against its Black Sea fleet in Crimea. Ukraine has denied responsibility for the alleged incident.
The Russian declaration came one day after UN chief Antonio Guterres urged Russia and Ukraine to renew the deal, with the wheat fields of Ukraine feeding 400 million people around the world.
Ukraine also provides roughly 10% of the world's wheat exports, and more than half of its sunflower oil.
After the grain agreement was reached in July it brought down global food prices by about 15% from their peak in March, according to the UN.