Ukraine: four more ships carrying 170,000 tonnes of grain depart under UN deal

Four more ships carrying about 170,000 tonnes of maize and other foodstuffs sailed from Ukrainian Black Sea ports on Sunday under a deal to unblock the country's exports after Russia's invasion.

The UN and Turkey brokered the agreement last month after warnings that the halt in grain shipments caused by Russia's invasion of Turkey could lead to severe food shortages and even outbreaks of famine in parts of the world.

Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said there were plans to step up shipments.

“We are gradually moving on to larger volumes of work. We plan to ensure the ability of the ports to handle at least 100 vessels per month in the near future,” he said.

Ukraine is also expected to soon start exporting grain from its Black Sea port of Pivdennyi, an expansion that would allow it to send out at least three million tonnes of goods a month, Mr Kubrakov said on Facebook.

Before Moscow began what it calls its “special military operation”, Russia and Ukraine together accounted for about a third of global wheat exports.

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