CAIRO — Russia’s Defense Ministry announced Nov. 2 that Moscow was rejoining the deal to allow the export of grains from Ukraine via the Black Sea. Russia had suspended its participation in the agreement in October after it accused Kyiv of carrying out drone attacks on its naval fleet stationed in the Crimean Peninsula.

The Russian return to the agreement — which was struck in July and allowed the export of some 10 million tons of Ukrainian grain — constitutes a major breakthrough in the wheat supply to Africa, especially North African countries, including Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Sudan and others, which import most of their wheat needs from Russia and Ukraine, the world’s largest exporters of wheat.

Russia’s agreement to rejoin the deal came after Moscow obtained written guarantees from Kyiv that the grain export corridor would not be used for military purposes again. 

According to a statement by the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin had told his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyib Erdogan in a phone call Nov. 1 that he had asked the Defense Ministry to resume its participation in the grain export agreement, and stressed that Moscow reserves the right to withdraw from this agreement if Ukraine did not abide by the guarantees.