Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said Thursday that the agreement allowing Ukraine to export its grain through the Black Sea has been extended for 120 days.

“Black Sea Grain Initiative will be prolonged for 120 days. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky together with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Defense Minister Hulusi Akar made another important step in the global fight against the food crisis,” Kubrakov said in a statement on Twitter.

“We are waiting for the official announcement from the leaders of the United Nations and Türkiye,” he added.

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 its 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 cargoes and personnel on board of the vessels.

According to the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine, so far more than 11 million metric tons of grains and foodstuffs have been exported through this “unique operation”. (ILKHA)