At a press conference Mr. Peskov hailed the ship’s departure as a very positive thing and expressed his hope that all parties will fully honor the grain export deal signed in Istanbul last week.

EU and NATO hailed the grain shipment as the first step toward resolving the current food crisis. EU spokesman Peter Stano stressed the importance of honoring every part of the deal and re-connecting Ukraine’s food exports to customers around the world.

Ukraine confirmed that the first ship carrying Ukraine grain left the port of Odessa on Monday. The Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship Razoni is carrying 26,000 tons of Ukrainian corn to Lebanon. The UN-led Joint Coordination Centre asked all parties to ensure the safe passage of the vessel.