Ukraine diplomat said Thursday that "certain negotiations" were underway regarding the landmark U.N. and Türkiye-brokered grain export initiative, which was shut down in the summer of 2023 after Russia pulled out from the agreement.

A Black Sea deal was brokered by the U.N. and Türkiye in July 2022 to combat a global food crisis worsened by Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The two countries are among the world's top grain exporters.

In July 2023, Russia halted its participation in the deal, stating that the terms of its participation in the agreement were not being met.

"Unfortunately, this grain initiative is not functioning at the moment, although certain negotiations are ongoing to find a format for possible assistance from international partners to Ukraine," Vasyl Bodnar, Ukraine's ambassador to Türkiye, told an online briefing.

He provided no further details.

Ukraine launched its own shipping corridor hugging its western Black Sea coast near Romania and Bulgaria last August after Moscow withdrew from the U.N.-brokered agreement.

Since then, it said it has exported around 16.5 million metric tons of cargo, mostly food, via the route.