In a bid to support the export of Ukrainian grain, France has signed a deal that will see Ukrainian grain transported through Romania and into France.

France's transport minister Clément Beaune made plans on Sunday 11 September to sign the deal after Russia threatened to limit grain shipments through the Black Sea.

The agreement will "strengthen the Romanian corridors" and thus contribute to making the export of Ukrainian cereals more reliable, the French government has said.

"This agreement is part of the strategic partnership between France and Romania and the European policy of solidarity corridors, which have enabled the export of more than 10m tonnes of cereals since March, from 0.4m tonnes in March to 2.6m tonnes in August, ie 50% more than by the sea route reopened at the end of July," the government said in a statement on Monday.

Technical expertise

Through this agreement, it said, France is mobilising its technical expertise in logistics to improve the logistics capacities of the Romanian corridors.

Minister Beaune added that he welcomed the involvement of Romania, which handles more than half of the flows transiting through the European Union.

He concluded by saying that the mobilisation of France was important in the transport of Ukrainian cereals for the benefit of the Ukraine, Europe and people who depend on grain from Ukraine around the world.