LIVE UPDATES: UN Welcomes Russia's Decision to Resume Participation in Grain Deal

Russia will not hinder grain supplies from Ukraine to Turkey in the future due to Ankara's neutrality and the capabilities of its grain processing industry, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, Putin announced that Ukraine provided guarantees of non-use of the humanitarian corridors under the grain deal for military purposes, so Russia is resuming its participation in the deal, but reserves the right to withdraw from it if Kiev violates the guarantees.

"And besides, in the future we will not hinder the supply of grain from the territory of Ukraine to the Republic of Turkey, bearing in mind Turkey's neutrality in the conflict as a whole, and the possibilities of the grain processing industry of the Republic of Turkey and the efforts of [Turkish] President Erdogan aimed at ensuring the interests of the poorest countries. We have no doubts here, and we will continue to cooperate with the Republic of Turkey in any case," Putin said during a meeting with permanent members of Russia's Security Council.

The United Nations welcomes Russia resuming its participation in a deal to facilitate food and fertilizer exports from Ukraine, UN Coordinator for the Black Sea Grain Initiative Amir Abdulla said Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, Moscow resumed its participation in the deal after Ukraine provided written guarantees not to use the grain corridor in the Black Sea for combat operations against Russia. Moscow had suspended the deal on Saturday following a drone attack by Ukraine targeting military and civilian ships in Crimea's Sevastopol.

"I welcome the return of the Russian Federation to the implementation of the #BlackSeaGrainInitiative to facilitate exports of food and fertilizer from #Ukraine. Grateful for the Turkish facilitation. Looking forward to working again with all parties in the Initiative," Abdulla wrote on social media.

The spokesperson added that the use of the grain corridor for military purposes by the Ukrainian military is the second issue that Russia has with the grain deal.

Italy has halted its sixth package of military aid for Ukraine saying it needs first to clarify with NATO allies what exactly Kiev needs and what Rome is able to provide, Italian media reported on Wednesday, citing sources.

Rome has paused the military assistance to Ukraine "only because it is necessary to coordinate with NATO and consider in detail Ukraine's military demands," a government source was quoted as saying.

"Only then we will understand what Kiev needs and what weapons we can supply," the source added.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is scheduled to meet Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Defense Minister Guido Crosetto in coming days to discuss, among other things, arms supplies to Ukraine, according to the report.

Three explosive devices, instructions for their use, and a diagram of the location of power transmission towers in one of the Crimean regions were seized during the detention, the statement added.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Schedules of hourly power outages were introduced on Wednesday in the central and northern parts of Ukraine, the country's electricity operator Ukrenergo said.

The source said not a single Kh-32 missile was intercepted by Ukrainian air defense systems.