Russian missiles hit Odessa one day after agreeing on grain export deal

CNN
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Russian missile strikes hit the port of Odessa in southern Ukraine, just a day after Ukraine and Russia Agree to a deal It would allow the resumption of vital grain exports from the region.

Serhiy Prachuk, a spokesman for the Odessa military administration, said two missiles hit the port’s infrastructure and were shot down by two missiles. Ukraine Air Defense.

At least six explosions were heard in Odessa, according to Ukrainian parliament member Oleksiy Goncharenko.

It comes a day after ministers from Ukraine and Russia signed an agreement – brokered by the United Nations and Turkey in Istanbul – to allow grain exports from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports with the aim of easing the global food crisis triggered by the war.

“This is all you need to know about deals with Russia,” Estonia’s Prime Minister Kaja Kallas added on Twitter. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell said the bloc “strongly condemns” the attack.

On Saturday, Borrell wrote on Twitter: “Achieving a crucial grain export target a day after the signing of the Istanbul Accords is particularly reprehensible and shows once again Russia’s complete disregard for international law and obligations.”

“Russia agreed to some kind of deal on the export of grain, but then immediately attacked it – which indicates that it wants to continue to threaten global food security,” Ukrainian parliamentarian Oleksiy Goncharenko said on Saturday in an interview with CNN.

There will be new campaigns where [Putin] They will certainly attack Odessa and the world’s only answer to that is to give arms to Ukraine – and finally to give Ukraine long-range missiles and fighters. This is the only response to this aggression on the part of Putin and to restore the international order.

Friday’s deal promised to unblock ports on the Black Sea to allow safe passage for grains and oilseeds — some of the… Ukraine’s main export.

So far, Russia blocks sea access to those ports, which means that millions of tons of Ukrainian grain have not been exported to the many countries that depend on them.

Today, there is a lighthouse on the Black Sea. A beacon of hope – a beacon of possibility – a beacon of relief – in a world that needs it more than ever, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday at the signing ceremony attended by the ministers of Ukraine and Russia.

But Saturday’s attack led to anger and concern about the future of that deal.

“That’s all you need to know about ‘agreements’ with the Russians. Explosions in the port of #Odessa. One day after the agreement was signed with #Turkey and the #UN, #Ukrainian grain was re-exported under which #Russia committed not to bombard the port”, Verkhovna Rada member Solomiia Bobrovska tweets.

Prachuk advised residents to stay in shelters as weather alerts continued.

The US ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink, called the Russian missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Odessa “outrageous”, saying the Kremlin continues to weaponize food and must be held accountable.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Saturday that Russia had claimed it had “nothing to do” with the strikes.

The Russians told us in certain terms that they had nothing to do with this attack. “They are monitoring the situation closely and in detail,” Akar said in a video statement.

“We were really concerned that such an event happened after we signed the grain shipments deal. We are also upset. But we continue to fulfill our responsibilities on this agreement, and we also expressed in our meetings that With the parties to continue their cooperation here calmly and patiently.” Friday.

Akar also said that Turkey received information about the strikes from Ukraine, “and then we spoke on the phone with Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov and Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kobrakov, with whom we were already in contact.”

“They stated that one of the missile attacks hit one of the silos there, and the other fell in an area close to the silos, but what is important there is that there is no problem with the loading capacity and the capacity of the berths, and that activities there can continue.