Grain crisis: Ukraine announces the departure of 12 loaded ships, and Erdogan pledges to continue supply efforts despite Russia's "hesitation"

Twelve ships left from Ukrainian ports on Monday under the Black Sea Initiative to transport grain.

Meanwhile, Ankara confirmed that it will continue its efforts under the grain agreement despite Moscow's reluctance.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Infrastructure announced the departure of 12 ships loaded with 355,000 tons of grain to Africa, Asia and Europe.

For his part, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan affirmed today that Turkey "is determined to continue efforts" and defend the agreement on Ukrainian grain exports "despite Russian reluctance."

"Even if Russia acted hesitantly because it did not get the same benefits, we will decisively continue our efforts to serve humanity," Erdogan added, stressing that the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul had succeeded in transporting 9.3 million tons of wheat to the world.

Earlier, the Joint Coordination Center supervising the Ukrainian grain export agreement through the Black Sea said that 12 cargo ships are scheduled to leave Ukrainian ports on Monday, with 4 ships to go to them, including one flying the Turkish flag.

The Palau-flagged cargo ship "Admiral de Ribas" left the port of Chornomorsk about 5:30 GMT, followed less than an hour later by the Hong Kong-flagged ship "Mount Baker", which sailed from the same port near Odessa.

Simultaneously, the Turkish cargo ship "Ocean Legend" left Istanbul to enter the humanitarian sea lane through the Bosphorus Strait bound for Ukraine.

The United Nations coordinator for the agreement on grain exports in the Black Sea also said on Monday that civilian cargo ships could not be military targets, and that "food must flow" under the agreement in which Russia suspended its participation at the weekend.

Russia suspended its participation in the international agreement to transport grain from Ukraine, signed this summer, after a march attack on its fleet in Crimea, and announced last Sunday that it was withdrawing "until further notice" from ship inspections.

On Sunday, no ships moved through the maritime humanitarian corridor established under the grain agreement, but the United Nations said - in a statement - that it had agreed with Ukraine and Turkey on a plan to move 16 ships today, Monday, 12 departing ships and 4 arriving ships.