Four freighters carrying grain left Ukrainian ports on Sunday. The ships, filled with sunflower oil, maize, and grain, are on their way to China, Turkey, and Italy.
They first sail to Istanbul, Turkey, to be inspected there. The Turkish Defense Ministry publicized this on Twitter on Sunday.
Since Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement on grain exports with the United Nations and Turkey on July 22, eight cargo ships have left Ukraine. Last week, the freighter Razoni became the first ship to sail with Ukrainian grain from Ukraine to Lebanon since the Russian invasion of Ukraine started. The war had blocked exports of Ukrainian grain and agricultural products for months.
According to Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Aleksandr Kubrakov, the aim is to have at least three to five daily ships calling at Ukrainian ports within two weeks. In the long run, 3 million tons of grain per month should be exported from the ports on the Black Sea. In addition, about 20 million tons of grain from the previous year’s harvest are still in the country.