5 more grain ships leave Ukraine under Istanbul deal: Türkiye

Five more ships have left Ukrainian ports under the historic Istanbul grain export deal, the Turkish National Defense Ministry said on Friday.

A ministry statement, which did not disclose the ships' points of departure or destinations, said shipments from Ukrainian ports are continuing as planned.

Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed an agreement in Istanbul on July 22 to resume grain exports from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports, which were paused after the Russia-Ukraine war began in February.

A Joint Coordination Center with officials from the three countries and the UN was set up in Istanbul to oversee the shipments.

Since the first vessel sailed under the deal on Aug. 1, more than 145 ships have carried over 3 million tons of agricultural products from Ukraine.