Four more ships leave Ukraine, Turkey's defence ministry says

Four ships carrying foodstuffs have been shipped from Ukraine under a Turkey-brokered grain exports deal

1 min read

21 August, 2022

Ukraine's grain exports have slumped since the start of the war because its Black Sea ports [Getty]

Four more ships carrying foodstuffs have left Ukraine's ports, Turkey's Defence Ministry said on Sunday, bringing the total number of vessels to leave Ukraine's Black Sea ports under a UN-brokered grain export deal to 31.

Ukraine's Sea Ports Authority said on Saturday three Ukrainian seaports had begun loading food onto seven ships, which would deliver 66,500 tonnes of wheat, corn and sunflower oil to consumers.

Ukraine's grain exports have slumped since the start of the war because its Black Sea ports - a vital route for shipments - were closed, driving up global food prices and prompting fears of shortages in Africa and the Middle East.

At the end of July, three Black Sea ports were unblocked under a deal between Moscow and Kyiv, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey.

(Reuters contributed to this report)