Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Wednesday that a multilateral agreement ensuring grain exports out of Ukraine will continue despite the Kremlin’s earlier threats to torpedo the deal.

"Starting at 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, grain supplies have resumed," Erdogan said in parliament, according to Russian state news outlet TASS. Erdogan cited a recent telephone conversation between the Russian and Turkish Defense Ministries greenlighting continued shipments of grain.

The Kremlin corroborated Erdogan’s announcement. “Thanks to the participation of international organizations, as well as Turkey’s assistance, it was possible to obtain the necessary written guarantees from Ukraine on not using the humanitarian corridor and Ukrainian ports designated for the export of agricultural products for military operations against the Russian Federation, [the guarantees were] submitted to the joint coordination center (JCC) on November 1,” said Russia’s Defense Ministry. The JCC, based in Istanbul and staffed by Russian, Turkish, and Ukrainian representatives, was established as part of the grain deal to oversee exports of agricultural products out of Ukraine.

Russian president Vladimir Putin earlier accused Kyiv of exploiting the safe corridors established by the deal to carry out an attack on Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol. "It was stressed that the Kiev regime, with support from its Western patrons, used the humanitarian shipping corridor, created for the transportation of Ukrainian grain, to carry out strikes against the infrastructure and ships of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, which were responsible for ensuring the safe operation of the route in question," read the Kremlin’s press statement on a Tuesday phone call between Erdogan and Putin.

The Russian president has repeatedly voiced concerns that the grain being exported under the deal is largely being shipped to Europe and not to developing countries, as intended by the deal’s sponsors. Erdogan offered his reassurance that the maritime corridor will prioritize “deliveries ... to the poor countries of Africa, in particular to Djibouti and Sudan," according to TASS. Putin further claimed in his conversation with Erdogan that the deal’s provisions to unblock the export of Russian fertilizer and agricultural products have not been implemented.

The grain deal, signed by Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, and the United Nations in July, was praised for alleviating global food shortages and came as a lifeline to Ukraine’s shrinking economy.

It is unclear if Russia, which says it may abandon the grain deal again if it finds fresh evidence of Ukrainian violations, has conclusively re-entered the agreement, or if the announcement is the latest in possible posturing to secure concessions in future talks with Turkey. "I have given instructions to the Defense Ministry to resume our full participation in this endeavor. At the same time, Russia reserves the right to withdraw from these agreements, if these guarantees are violated by Ukraine," Putin told Russia’s Security Council on Wednesday.

Mark Episkopos is a national security reporter for the National Interest.

Image: Reuters.