A Turkish-brokered deal to unblock Ukraine’s grain exports from the Black Sea is not a "one-off mechanism," the Kremlin said Thursday, voicing hopes for it to continue to work effectively.
Ankara separately called for the deal to be "sustainable," which it says could be the basis for a "comprehensive cease-fire" to end the nearly six months-long war in Ukraine.
The first ship carrying Ukraine’s desperately needed grain since Russia launched its invasion passed through the Bosporus on Wednesday en route to Lebanon after it underwent an inspection off Istanbul.
The ship, Razoni, left Odessa on the Black Sea early on Monday carrying 26,527 tons of corn to the Lebanese port of Tripoli.
It followed the United Nations and Turkey-brokered grain and fertilizer export agreement between Moscow and Kyiv on July 22 – a rare diplomatic breakthrough in a drawn-out war of attrition.
The sides pledged to create safe Black Sea shipping corridors to export Ukraine’s agricultural products as Russia’s war upon its neighbor grinds on.
"This is not a one-time mechanism, but a mechanism that is designed to ensure the export of the grain that has accumulated in these ports," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday.
"Therefore, we hope that this mechanism will continue to work just as effectively."
The deal, which allows for Ukrainian grain to be shipped to world markets via Turkey, must be renewed every 120 days by agreement of the parties.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said the grain deal "has to be sustainable, and everybody must act responsibly and stand by their commitments to continue this flow."
"And I have to tell you that the situation is fragile, because the war in Ukraine continues," Çavuşoğlu told during a joint news conference with his Malaysian counterpart Saifuddin Abdullah in Kuala Lumpur.
Meanwhile, a Turkish bulk carrier is expected to arrive in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Chornomorsk on Friday and will be the first vessel to arrive at a Ukrainian port during Russia’s invasion, a spokesperson for the regional administration of Odessa said.
"The Turkish bulk carrier OSPREYS, flying the flag of Liberia, is heading from the Dardanelles Strait to the port of Chornomorsk," Serhiy Bratchuk, the spokesperson, wrote on Telegram late on Wednesday.
"This will be the first vessel that has not been blocked in our ports since Feb. 24, heading to (collect) Ukrainian export grain," he said.
Çavuşoğlu said that the grain agreement would be extended if there are no objections made prior to the ending of the current deal.
In case of extension, Çavuşoğlu said "Russia will also be able to export its own grain and related products as well as fertilizers." He emphasized that the entire world needs these goods coming from Ukraine and Russia.
Expressing hopes for the deal to be "the basis for a comprehensive cease-fire, peace plan, and lasting peace" in the region, he further affirmed Ankara’s continued efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine and noted the "need to support the international community to end the war."