Russia no longer wants to participate in the deal for the export of agricultural products from Ukrainian ports. The decision comes after “massive drone attacks” on ships in Crimea, TASS reported on the basis of a statement from the Ministry of Defense.
Russia claimed earlier in the day that warships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet have repelled multiple drone strikes in the bay of Sevastopol, the largest city in the Crimean peninsula. At least one ship, which Russia claims was involved in the grain trade from Ukraine, was hit in the attack. In response to the regime’s “act of terror in Kiev,” Russia is suspending participation in the grain deal, the defense ministry said.
The deal came in July after pressure on the belligerent countries to allow the safe export of Ukrainian grain by sea. Since Ukraine and Russia are major grain exporters, the UN feared global food shortages as a result of the war. Numerous ships have been transporting wheat, maize and other grains through a coordination center in Istanbul since the summer.
The export agreement with Ukraine was initially concluded for 120 days. United Nations aid chief Martin Griffiths said on Wednesday that he was “relatively optimistic” that the agreement would be extended beyond mid-November.
Blackmail
Ukrainian President Zelensky’s chief of staff accuses Russia of blackmail and says Moscow staged the attack. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Russia is using a false pretext to pull out of the deal. “I call on all countries to demand that Russia end its hunger game and re-live its obligations,” it said on Twitter. The United Nations has called for every effort to keep the agreement afloat.
President Zelensky now also calls for Russia to be excluded from the G20. “Countries like Algeria, Egypt, Yemen, Bangladesh and Vietnam are suffering from the food crisis that Russia is now deliberately causing,” he said in his daily video address. “Why can a handful of people somewhere in the Kremlin decide whether to put food on the table in Egypt or Bangladesh?” Zelensky needs a strong response from the United Nations, but also from the group of major industrialized countries (G20).
Russian Agriculture Minister Dmitri Patrushev said on Saturday that Russia is ready to supply up to 500,000 tons of grain free of charge to poor countries over the next four months, with help from Turkey. They also want to replace deliveries of Ukrainian grain. “Taking into account this year’s harvest, the Russian Federation is fully prepared to replace Ukrainian grain and supply it at affordable prices to all interested countries,” he said.
Russia also plans to bring the issue of the drone attack to the United Nations Security Council, as well as the destruction caused to the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines, the spokeswoman for Russian diplomacy announced. Maria Zakharova, on Saturday via messaging service Telegram.
US President Joe Biden called the Russia decision “outrageous”. “There was no reason to do that,” Biden said on Saturday when he cast his vote in the US midterm elections.
‘Putin’s Bloodhound’ admits major losses in his unit after Ukrainian fire attack
ANALYSIS. Russia is going to drop that ‘dirty bomb’. We know how and where, just not yet when
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