A crucial grain deal allowing shipments of Ukrainian grain to leave the country’s ports was extended on Thursday for another 120 days.

Why it matters: The deal — which was set to expire on Saturday — has been key to helping alleviate the deepening food crisis around the world that was further aggravated by Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian ports in the first few months of the war.

The deal between Russia and Ukraine was brokered by the UN with the help of Turkey.

Russia briefly suspended its participation in the agreement in late October over a purported attack on its Black Sea fleet, before rejoining days later.

What they’re saying: “Grain Deal will be prolonged for 120 days,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted Thursday, adding that United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan “made key decision in the global fight against the food crisis.”

“As a result of the four-way talks hosted by Turkey, the Black Sea Grain Corridor Agreement was extended for 120 days as of 19 November 2022, in line with the decision taken between Turkey, the United Nations, the Russian Federation and Ukraine,” Erdoğan tweeted.

While Russia did not immediately comment on the deal’s extension, Guterres praised the achievement as emblematic of the “importance of discreet diplomacy in finding multilateral solutions.”

Meanwhile, Russia launched a fresh barrage of missile strikes on Ukraine on Thursday, striking cities across Ukraine.

Russian strikes on Dnipro caused 14 people to be hospitalized, including one child, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office, wrote in a Telegram post.

Ukraine Air Defense shot down several planes in the Kyiv region and several hits were recorded in other regions across Ukraine, affecting the energy system, Kyiv regional Gov. Oleksiy Kuleba wrote in a Telegram post.

Zoom in: Odesa saw its first hit in weeks, on an infrastructure facility, the Wall Street Journal reported.

In addition, two people were killed in overnight missile strikes in the region of Zaporhizhzhia while another three people were injured in strikes on Kharkiv, the Guardian reported.

On Tuesday, Russia unleashed one of the most severe days of missile strikes of the war, launching 96 missiles, according to Ukraine’s Air Force Command.