Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that Russia agreed to extend a deal that has allowed Ukraine to ship grain through the Black Sea, helping ease a global food crisis exacerbated by the Russia-Ukraine conflict that began more than a year ago.

"With the efforts of our country, the support of our Russian friends, the contribution of our Ukrainian friends, it was decided to prolong the Black Sea grain deal for two more months," Erdogan said on Wednesday.

He said the deal would be extended for two months, one day before it was due to expire.

Ukraine and Russia are both major global suppliers of wheat, barley, sunflower oil and other affordable food products that developing nations depend on.

Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed an agreement last July in Istanbul to resume grain exports from Ukrainian ports, which were paused after the Russia-Ukraine war began in February, to help tackle a global food crisis.

More than 30 million metric tons of grain and foodstuffs have been exported from Ukraine since last August, according to the UN.