The first shipment of Ukrainian grain left the port of Odesa on Monday morning, Turkey said, following Ukraine and Russia’s signing last month of a landmark deal with Turkey and the UN aimed at restarting grain exports from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports. Follow FRANCE 24's live blog for the latest developments. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
"The Secretary-General hopes that this will be the first of many commercial ships moving in accordance with the initiative signed, and that this will bring much-needed stability and relief to global food security especially in the most fragile humanitarian contexts," the UN statement said.
The World Food Programme also planned to purchase, load and ship an initial 30,000 metric tonnes of wheat out of Ukraine on a UN-chartered vessel, the statement added.
EU urges Russia to fully implement grain deal with Ukraine
The European Union on Monday welcomed the departure of a grain shipment from Ukraine as a "first step" towards mitigating the food crisis triggered by Russia's invasion of its neighbour. But EU spokesman Peter Stano said Brussels still expects the "implementation of the whole deal and resumption of Ukrainian exports to the customers around the world".
11:28am: Kremlin says first grain ship to leave Ukraine 'very positive' news
The Kremlin said that news of the first ship carrying grain to leave Ukraine's port of Odesa under a deal brokered by Turkey was "very positive".
"As for the departure of the first ship, this is very positive. A good opportunity to test the effectiveness of the mechanisms that were agreed during talks in Istanbul," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
11:18am: Russia outlines plans to rebuild Ukraine’s Mariupol in attempt to gain support in occupied territories
A senior Russian official on Monday outlined plans to rebuild Ukraine's southern port city of Mariupol, which suffered a devastating siege and heavy shelling before being captured by Russian troops. The move comes as part of Moscow's wider efforts to gain support in Ukrainian regions that have come under Russian control since the start of the February invasion.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin said in an interview with Russia's RBC TV channel that the first buildings currently under construction will be ready by the autumn. "The first residential buildings will be standing by September. We will already have the first hospitals, will build a centre of the emergencies ministry," he said.
Khusnullin also said there were plans to rebuild the historic centre of Mariupol, renovating all buildings that were not completely destroyed by Russian shelling.
Ukraine grain shipment 'relief for the world', Kyiv says
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Monday hailed the departure of the first shipment of grain from the port of Odesa since the start of Russia's invasion as a "relief for the world".
"The day of relief for the world, especially for our friends in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, as the first Ukrainian grain leaves Odesa after months of Russian blockade. Ukraine has always been a reliable partner and will remain one should Russia respect its part of the deal," Kuleba tweeted.
SOURCE: FRANCE24
