PH
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attended the signing ceremony, with Russia represented by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Ukraine represented by Transport and Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov, countries have signed separate agreements with Turkey and the United Nations.
Turkey first announced the tentative deal last week after hosting talks between Russia, Ukraine and the UN. Under the deal, Ukrainian ships will guide ships in and out of Ukraine's heavily exploited ports, and Russia will agree not to attack the area while the shipments move.
Turkey's role will be to inspect ships leaving Ukrainian ports for arms smuggling, and Istanbul is believed to have UN support for this mission. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is expected to arrive in Istanbul on Friday to sign the agreement.
Turkey has become a mediator between Russia and Ukraine and calls for a negotiated solution to end the war, unlike the United States and other NATO members who have shown little interest in diplomacy.
While not participating in the grain accord negotiations, the United States said on Thursday it would hold Russia "responsible" for its implementation.
Russian and Ukrainian authorities have pledged not to target merchant ships, civilian vessels and ports, but it appears that Ukraine has not requested any specific security guarantees.
A senior UN official said the Russians kept their word when an agreement was signed to evacuate the Ukrainian city of Mariupol and the besieged steel plant Azovstal earlier this year, so they expect that the Russians will honor the current agreement.