“Grain shipments from Ukrainian ports continue. The amount of grain transported exceeded 13 million tons,” the Turkish Defense Ministry said in a statement on Twitter.

The UN, Russia, Türkiye, and Ukraine signed a deal on July 22 to reopen three Ukrainian ports for the export of Ukraine grain, which had been stuck for months due to the Russia-Ukraine war.

The signing ceremony took place at Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul, Turkey. The ceremony marks the first major deal between the warring sides since the beginning of the Russian invasion in February.

However, it was not a direct agreement between Russia and Ukraine. Instead, Ukraine signed an agreement with Turkey and the UN, and Russia signed a separate "mirror" agreement with Turkey and the UN.

The signed documents entail the safe navigation for the export of grain and related foodstuffs and fertilizers, including ammonia from the Ukrainian ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Yuzhne.

The ships will traverse the Black Sea in specially created corridors that are demined. All merchant vessels are required to go to Turkey for inspection.

Another agreement was made at the same time for the United Nations to facilitate the unimpeded export of Russian food, fertilizer, and raw materials.

As part of the agreement, a Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) was created under the auspices of the United Nations in Istanbul on July 27.

The JCC is tasked with registering and monitoring the departure of commercial ships via satellite, internet, and other communication means. Its primary responsibility is to check for the absence of unauthorized cargo and personnel on board of the vessels.

The original agreement was set to expire on October 19^th. Renewal negotiations were briefly interrupted when Russia suspended its participation in the agreement on 29 October because of a drone attack on Russian naval ships in the port of Sevastopol.

Russia resumed its participation on 2 November after Turkish and UN mediation.

On November 17th, the UN and Ukraine announced that the agreement had been extended for a further 120 days. (ILKHA)