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Since the first ship left Ukraine on August 1 under the Türkiye-brokered deal, over 656,000 tons of Ukrainian grain have been delivered to world markets.
A Joint Coordination Center with officials from the three countries and the UN has been set up in Istanbul to oversee the shipments.
(AP)
Two more ships have left Ukrainian ports under Türkiye-brokered grain export deal, the Turkish National Defense Ministry said.
A ministry statement, which did not disclose the point of origin of the two ships, said on Monday shipments from Ukrainian ports are continuing as planned.
Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed an agreement in Istanbul on July 22 to resume grain exports from the Ukrainian Black Sea ports of Yuzhny, Chornomorsk and Odesa, which were halted due to the Russia-Ukraine war, now in its sixth month.
A Joint Coordination Center (JCC) with officials from the three countries and the UN has been set up in Istanbul to oversee the shipments.
Since the first ship left Ukraine under the deal on August 1, over 656,000 tons of Ukrainian grain have been delivered to world markets.
READ MORE:How Ukraine grain shipments process from Black Sea ports to Türkiye
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JK6rotQBZRQ[/embed]
Source: AA
Washington is stepping up to buy about 150,000 metric tonnes of grain from Ukraine, says World Food Program chief and urges Gulf states, who he says are making record-breaking oil profits, to chip in with help.
WFP's David Beasley says the Horn of Africa is facing a "perfect storm on top of a perfect storm, a tsunami on top of a tsunami".
(AP)
The United States is stepping up to buy about 150,000 metric tonnes of grain from Ukraine in the next few weeks for an upcoming shipment of food aid from ports no longer blockaded by conflict, the World Food Program (WFP) chief has told the Associated Press news agency.
The final destinations for the grain are not confirmed and discussions continue, David Beasley said.
But the planned shipment, one of several the UN agency that fights hunger is pursuing, is more than six times the amount of grain that the first WFP-arranged ship from Ukraine is now carrying toward people in the Horn of Africa at risk of starvation.
Beasley spoke from northern Kenya, which is deep in a drought that is withering the Horn of Africa region. He sat under a thorn tree among local women who told the AP that the last time it rained was in 2019.
Their bone-dry communities face yet another failed rainy season within weeks that could tip parts of the region, especially neighboring Somalia, into famine. Already, thousands of people have died. WFP says 22 million people are hungry.
"I think there's a high probability we'll have a declaration of famine" in the coming weeks, Beasley said.
He called the situation facing the Horn of Africa a "perfect storm on top of a perfect storm, a tsunami on top of a tsunami" as the drought-prone region struggles to cope amid high food and fuel prices driven partly by the conflict in Ukraine and sanctions on Russia.
The keenly awaited first aid ship from Ukraine is carrying 23,000 metric tonnes of grain, enough to feed 1.5 million people on full rations for a month, Beasley said.
It is expected to dock in Djibouti on August 26 or 27, and the wheat is supposed to be shipped overland to northern Ethiopia, where millions of people in the Tigray, Afar and Amhara regions have faced not only drought but deadly conflict.
Day of Gulf countries' oil profits could save millions
The slow reopening of Ukraine's ports and the cautious movement of cargo ships across the mined Black Sea won't solve the global food security crisis, Beasley said, urging that richer countries must do much more to keep grain and other assistance flowing to the hungriest parts of the world, and he named names.
"With oil profits being so high right now — record-breaking profits, billions of dollars every week — the Gulf states need to help, need to step up and do it now," Beasley said, adding, it’s inexcusable not to. "Particularly since these are their neighbours, these are their brothers, their family."
He asserted the WFP could save "millions of lives" with just one day of Gulf countries' oil profits.
China needs to help as well, Beasley said. "China's the second-largest economy in the world, and we get diddly-squat from China," or very little, he added.
Some of the world's poorest people without enough food are in northern Kenya, where animal carcasses are slowly stripped to the bone beneath an ungenerous sky.
"Don't forget us," resident Hasan Mohamud told Beasley. "Even the camels have disappeared. Even the donkeys have succumbed."
Source: AP
Two more ships departed from the Ukrainian port of Chornomorsk under the Türkiye-brokered deal reached last month to resume grain exports from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports.
A Joint Coordination Center (JCC) with officials from the three countries and the UN has been set up in Istanbul to oversee the shipments.
(Reuters)
Two more ships have left a Ukrainian port under the Istanbul grain export deal, the Turkish National Defense Ministry said.
The ships departed from the Ukrainian port of Chornomorsk, the ministry said on Twitter on Saturday.
It added that two other ships coming from Ukraine and going to Ukraine will also be inspected in the north of Istanbul.
Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed a deal last month to resume grain exports from the Ukrainian Black Sea ports of Yuzhny, Chornomorsk, and Odesa, which were halted due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, now in its sixth month.
A Joint Coordination Center (JCC) with officials from the three countries and the UN has been set up in Istanbul to oversee the shipments.
Under the deal, the Istanbul JCC will carry out joint inspections at the entrances and exits of harbours, and also ensure the safety of sea routes to be used by merchant ships carrying commercial food items and fertilisers from the three Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea.
The halt of deliveries from Ukraine – one of the world's biggest grain exporters – has contributed to soaring food prices, hitting the world's poorest nations especially hard.
More ships from Ukraine are expected to set out in the coming days.
Twelve vessels carrying more than 370,000 metric tonnes of grain and other foodstuffs have been authorised to leave Ukrainian ports, while several more grain vessels in Turkish waters await contracts.
Ukraine's grain had been stuck for months because of the ongoing conflict with Russia, now in its sixth month.
(Reuters Archive)
Ukraine has exported nearly 400,000 tonnes of grain in the first week following the announcement of a deal brokered by Türkiye to address global food insecurity.
Twelve vessels carrying more than 370,000 metric tonnes of grain and other foodstuffs have been authorised to leave Ukrainian ports, the interim Coordinator for the UN at the Joint Coordination Centre, Frederick Kenney, said.
"We have seen tremendous interest from ship owners in terms of their willingness to make this transit," Kenney told reporters in New York on Wednesday.
"We're expecting to see a big uptick in applications."
Several empty grain vessels are sitting in Turkish waters waiting to arrange contracts. Once their deals are arranged, they will be transiting northbound, he added.
The vessels departing Ukrainian ports were loaded with corn and other foodstuffs and the first Ukrainian wheat shipment is expected next week.
"We actually have cleared the first ship inbound that's going to be picking up the wheat according to our records and that should occur sometime next week," said Kenney.
Türkiye, the UN, Russia and Ukraine signed a landmark deal on July 22 to reopen three Ukrainian ports — Odessa, Chornomorsk and Yuzhny — for grain that had been stuck for months because of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, now in its sixth month.
Four more ships loaded with grain set off from Ukrainian ports on Sunday, as Moscow and Kyiv blamed each other for a new strike at a Russian-occupied nuclear plant.
Amnesty International, meanwhile, said it deeply regretted the "distress and anger" caused after it alleged Ukrainian forces were flouting international law by exposing civilians to Russian fire. But it stands by its controversial report.
Kyiv's infrastructure ministry wrote on Telegram that a second convoy of Ukrainian supplies had just left, three from Chornomorsk and one from Odesa.
The Mustafa Necati, the Star Helena, the Glory and the Riva Wind were carrying "around 170,000 tons of agriculture-related merchandise," it said.
Moscow and Kyiv traded accusations Sunday over who bombed the Zaporizhzhia nuclear site in southern Ukraine.
Europe's largest atomic power complex has been under Russian control since the early days of the Feb. 24 invasion.
And as Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed U.S. actress Jessica Chastain to Ukraine, Moscow celebrated the re-election of a former senior Russian politician to the world body governing chess.
'Very real risk'
Recent fighting at the plant has prompted UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to warn of "the very real risk of a nuclear disaster."
Russia's occupying authorities in the town of Enerhodar, where the plant is located, said the Ukrainian army overnight "carried out a strike with a cluster bomb fired from an Uragan multiple rocket launcher."
The projectiles fell "within 400 meters of a working reactor" and in a "zone storing used nuclear fuel," Russia's state news agency TASS reported.
Ukraine's state nuclear energy company Enerhoatom however said the "Russian occupiers once again fired rockets" at the nuclear power plant in its host town, Enerhodar. One worker there had been hospitalized with shrapnel wounds, it added.
AFP was not able to confirm the allegations from an independent source.
On Saturday, Enerhoatom had already said parts of the facility had been "seriously damaged" by military strikes the previous day, forcing the shutdown of one of its reactors.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi warned Saturday: "Any military firepower directed at or from the facility would amount to playing with fire, with potentially catastrophic consequences."
Zelensky in his nightly address Sunday, called for a "principled response" from the international community.
Evoking the possibility that the plant was hit causing the release of a toxic cloud, he added: No-one will stop the wind that will spread the radioactive contamination."
Amnesty's regret
Amnesty International sparked outrage in Ukraine with a report Thursday accusing the military of endangering civilians by establishing bases in schools and hospitals, and launching counter-attacks from heavily populated areas.
The head of their Ukraine bureau resigned over the report, accusing Amnesty of becoming "a tool of Russian propaganda."
On Sunday, the rights group said that while it stood by its finding, "nothing we documented Ukrainian forces doing in any way justifies Russian violations."
The renewed shipments of Ukrainian grain to help ease global food shortages and bring down prices nevertheless offer a small glimmer of hope as the war enters its sixth month.
Ukraine, one of the world's largest grain exporters, had been forced to halt almost all deliveries in the wake of Russia's invasion.
That sent global food prices soaring, making imports prohibitively expensive for some of the world's poorest nations.
A bulk carrier arrived in Chornomorsk on Saturday to be loaded with grain for the first time since Moscow's invasion.
The departure Sunday of the four other vessels follows several others last week under a deal brokered with the help of Turkey.
'Sign of hope'
In Rome on Sunday, Pope Francis welcomed the resumption of grain exports as "a sign of hope" that showed dialogue was possible to end the war.
"I sincerely hope that, following this path, we can put an end to the fighting and arrive at a just and lasting peace."
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky posted pictures on Telegram on Sunday of a meeting with Oscar-winning actress Jessica Chastain.
Underlining the value of visits from famous people, he wrote: "Thanks to this, the world will hear, know and understand the truth about what is happening in our country even more."
Earlier Sunday, Moscow celebrated a diplomatic victory of its own with the re-election of Russia's Arkady Dvorkovich to the helm of the international chess body FIDE.
Dvorkovich, a former deputy premier under Russian President Vladimir Putin, comfortably saw off a challenge from Ukrainian grandmaster Andrii Baryshpolets who had accused him of being part of Moscow's "war machine."
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called it "clearly very good news and a very significant victory," Russia's TASS news agency reported.
Carrying 33,000 tons of corn, the Panama-flagged ship "Navi-Star" is expected to proceed on its way to Ireland after an inspection.
The ship departed from Ukraine's port of Odessa on Friday.
(AA)
Two grain-loaded ships from Ukraine docked at the Black Sea entrance of Türkiye's Istanbul Strait en route to Ireland and England, the Turkish National Defence Ministry said.
The Panama-flagged ship, the Navi-Star, docked after departing from Ukraine's port of Odessa on Friday, the ministry said on Saturday.
The ship is carrying 33,000 tons of corn under a recent grain shipment deal signed by Türkiye, Russia, Ukraine, and the UN to ease the global food crisis.
On July 22, those countries and the UN signed a Türkiye-brokered deal in Istanbul to reopen three Ukrainian ports for exports of Ukraine grain, which had been stuck for months due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, now in its sixth month.
A team from the Joint Coordination Center (JCC) in Istanbul, consisting of representatives from all four sides, will inspect the ship.
After the inspection, the ship is expected to proceed on its way to Ireland.
The Maltese flagged ship "Rojen", which left Ukraine's Chernomorsk Port to sail for England, also anchored at its designated location north of Istanbul.
The ship, which carries 13 thousand tons of corn, will be inspected tomorrow morning according to Türkiye's Ministry of National Defence.
The Sierra Leone-flagged vessel Razoni was the first grain ship that left the port of Odessa on Monday since the conflict began in February.
The ship, with over 26,500 tons of corn, passed through the Turkish Straits after it got security clearance in Istanbul on Wednesday, when it set sail again for its ultimate destination, Lebanon.
So far, four ships, carrying a total of over 84,500 tons of grain, have departed Ukraine's ports to make their deliveries that many believe will help ease the global food crisis.
Türkiye's defence minister underlined that they continue to work with Russian, Ukrainian and UN officials for the smooth functioning of the grain ships under Ankara-brokered deal.
Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed the landmark deal on July 22 to reopen three Ukrainian ports for grain shipments.
(AA)
Three ships carrying grain and foodstuffs will depart from Ukrainian ports on Friday under a recent landmark deal, Türkiye's top defence official has announced.
"With the intensive work of the Joint Coordination Center, three ships are planned to begin sailing tomorrow from Ukraine's ports within the scope of grain shipments," Türkiye's National Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said on Thursday.
An empty ship is also expected to arrive in Istanbul, where the Joint Coordination Center is located, for inspections before leaving for Ukraine, Akar added.
Akar underlined that they continued to work with Russian, Ukrainian and UN officials for the smooth functioning of the system under the deal.
Having held separate meetings with Ukraine's Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov and Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov, Hulusi Akar exchanged views on the efforts of grain shipments and the latest situation.
Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed the landmark deal on July 22 to reopen three Ukrainian ports — Odessa, Chernomorsk, and Yuzhny — for grain that has been stuck for months due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, which is now in its sixth month.
To oversee Ukrainian grain exports, the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul was officially launched on July 27.
The centre consists of representatives from Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine, and aims to enable the safe transportation by merchant ships of commercial foodstuffs and fertilisers from the three key Ukrainian Black Sea ports.
On Monday, the first ship to leave Ukraine under the agreement, the Sierra Leone-flagged cargo vessel Razoni, departed from Odessa carrying over 26,500 tons of corn, got security clearance in Istanbul, and is on its way to the Lebanese port of Tripoli, its final destination.
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu stressed Türkiye’s continued efforts to end the Ukraine crisis and emphasised that the entire world needs food items coming from Ukraine and Russia
.
A day after the first grain ship to have left Ukraine was cleared in Istanbul for its onward journey to Lebanon, Cavusoglu said the grain export deal will be extended if there are no objections.
(AA Archive)
Türkiye’s foreign minister has stressed that the landmark Ukrainian grain deal signed in Istanbul has to be "sustainable" and could be the basis for a "comprehensive cease-fire" to end the Ukraine conflict.
"It has to be sustainable, and the duration of this agreement is for four months,” Mevlut Cavusoglu said during a joint press conference with his Malaysian counterpart Saifuddin Abdullah in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.
A day after the first grain ship to have left Ukraine was cleared in Istanbul for its onward journey, Cavusoglu said the grain export deal would be extended if there are no objections.
Cavusoglu added that if the deal was extended, then "Russia will also be able to export its own grain and related products as well as fertilizers". He emphasised that the entire world needs these goods coming from Ukraine and Russia.
The halt of deliveries has contributed to soaring food prices, hitting the world's poorest nations especially hard.
Türkiye, the United Nations, Russia and Ukraine signed the deal on July 22 to reopen three Ukrainian ports — Odessa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny — for grain that has been stuck for months due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine fighting, which is now into its sixth month.
The grain deal “has to be sustainable, and everybody must act responsibly and stand by their commitments to continue this flow. And I have to tell you that the situation is fragile, because the war in Ukraine continues," Cavusoglu reiterated.
Expressing Türkiye's hope for the deal to be "the basis for a comprehensive cease-fire, peace plan and lasting peace" in the region, he stressed his country's continued efforts to end the Ukraine crisis and noted the "need to support the international community to end the war."
Cavusoglu's remarks came a day after the first grain-laden ship to leave Ukraine since the conflict passed an inspection in Istanbul for an onward journey to Lebanon. The inspection by a team from the Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) in Istanbul lasted over an hour.
The Razoni, carrying over 26,500 tonnes of corn to Lebanon, anchored off the Turkish coast near the Black Sea entrance of the Istanbul Strait on Tuesday night. The Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship departed from the Ukrainian port of Odessa on Monday.
On Thursday, Cavusoglu also discussed the deal with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken over the phone.cThe two also spoke about bilateral ties, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
Diplomatic missions of the US and the UK have separately hailed Türkiye for diplomacy to broker deal over grain stuck for months due to ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The first grain-laden ship to leave Ukraine since the conflict with Russia began on Feb. 24 continues to sail to Lebanon after Wednesday's inspection by a team from the Joint Coordination Center (JCC) in Istanbul.
(Reuters)
The diplomatic missions of the US and the UK in Türkiye separately hailed Ankara for efforts to resume export of Ukrainian grain stuck for months due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The first grain-laden ship to leave Ukraine since the conflict with Russia began on February 24 continues to sail to Lebanon after Wednesday's inspection by a team from the Joint Coordination Center (JCC) in Istanbul.
“We welcome the arrival of the cargo ship Razoni in Istanbul today as a vital step towards mitigating the global food security crisis. We applaud Türkiye for its diplomacy to ensure safe passage of grain from Ukraine to global markets,” the US consulate general in Istanbul said on Twitter.
The Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship Razoni, carrying over 26,500 tons of corn, anchored off the Turkish coast near the Black Sea entrance of the Istanbul Strait on Tuesday night for joint inspections. It departed from Ukraine's port of Odesa on Monday under a historic deal brokered by Ankara last month.
The inspections lasted over an hour, and after getting a security clearance in Istanbul, the ship passed through the Turkish Straits en route to the port of Tripoli in Lebanon.
Separately, in his first video message in Türkiye, Ajay Sharma, British Embassy’s Chargé d'Affaires, said the Ukraine grain deal was only possible because of the diplomatic efforts led by Türkiye and the UN.
“We, as the UK, attach great importance and support to this agreement. This diplomatic success is indeed crucial to eliminating the threat to food security and ending the grain blockade of Ukraine,” Sharma added.
He said the UK will continue to support the implementation of the agreement as it is in the world's interest.
Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed the deal on July 22 to reopen three Ukrainian ports – Odessa, Chernomorsk, and Yuzhny – for grain export.
The JCC opened on July 27 comprising representatives from Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine to enable safe transportation by merchant ships of commercial foodstuffs and fertilizers from the three key Ukrainian Black Sea ports.
The first ship arrives at the Turkish coast days after the Türkiye-brokered deal to resume grain exports from Ukraine to the world.
The Sierra Leone-flagged Razoni is due to be inspected on Wednesday by a joint coordination centre established in Istanbul last week.
(AFP)
The first official shipment of Ukrainian grain since Russian attack has reached Turkish territorial waters near the entrance to the Bosphorus Strait.
The Sierra Leone-flagged Razoni is due to be inspected on Wednesday by a joint coordination centre established in Istanbul last week.
After the inspection by Turkish, Russian and Ukrainian officials the ship will deliver its cargo of 26,000 tonnes of maize to Tripoli, Lebanon.
"The inspection of the ship by the joint inspection team will begin (Wednesday) morning," the Turkish defence ministry said.
Türkiye, the UN, Russia and Ukraine signed a deal on July 22 to reopen three Ukrainian ports — Odessa, Chernomorsk, and Yuzhny — for grain that has been stuck for months because of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, which is now in its sixth month.
To oversee Ukrainian grain exports, a joint coordination centre in Istanbul was officially opened last week, comprising representatives of Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine.
The centre will enable the safe transportation, by merchant ships, of commercial foodstuffs and fertilisers from the three key Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea.
The blockage of deliveries from two of the world's biggest grain exporters has contributed to a spike in prices that has made food imports prohibitively expensive for some of the world's poorest countries.
The European Union and NATO have also welcomed the grain shipment departure from Ukraine as a "first step" towards easing the global food crisis.
The dry cargo ship Razoni is due to arrive in Istanbul on Tuesday for an inspection under the historic Ankara-brokered agreement to facilitate grain and foodstuff exports.
(Emrah Yorulmaz / AA)
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has thanked Türkiye for its efforts and leadership as a nascent deal to resume grain exports from Ukraine saw its first ship depart from the port of Odessa.
The departure of the Sierra Leone-flagged dry cargo ship Razoni marked an "important starting point" for the agreement, Guterres said on Monday.
"It must be the first of many commercial ships bringing relief and stability to global food markets," he added.
"Today's departure is an enormous collective achievement by the Joint Coordination Center, set up last week in Istanbul under United Nations auspices, with representatives from Ukraine, the Russian Federation, and Türkiye," the UN chief told reporters.
"Ensuring that grain, fertilisers, and other food-related items are available at reasonable prices to developing countries is a humanitarian imperative. People on the verge of famine need these agreements to work in order to survive," he said.
Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul to inspect all grain ships leaving Ukraine to ensure they aren't carrying any weapons pic.twitter.com/qacaoMhgwn
The Razoni is due to arrive in Istanbul on Tuesday for an inspection under the historic Ankara-brokered agreement to facilitate grain and foodstuff exports. The vessel is bound for the Lebanese port of Tripoli in the country's north.
Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed a deal on July 22 to reopen three Ukrainian ports — Odessa, Chernomorsk, and Yuzhny — for grain that has been stuck for months because of ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, which is now in its sixth month.
The European Union and NATO welcomed the grain shipment's departure as a "first step" towards easing the food crisis.
The agreements signed by Ukraine, Russia, Turkey & @UN are a critical step in overcoming the global food insecurity caused by Russia‘s aggression against Ukraine.
EU remains committed to help #Ukraine bring as much of its grain into global markets as possible.
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) July 22, 2022
EU spokesperson Peter Stano, however, cautions the bloc still expects the "implementation of the whole deal and resumption of Ukrainian exports to the customers around the world."
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said, Western allies "strongly support the full implementation of the deal to ease the global food crisis caused by Russia's war in Ukraine".
"I thank our Ally #Türkiye for its pivotal role," he continued in a tweet.
I welcome the 1st shipment of Ukrainian grain from Odesa under the @UN-brokered deal. I thank our Ally #Türkiye for its pivotal role. #NATO Allies strongly support the full implementation of the deal to ease the global food crisis caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said on Twitter that the first grain ship has left, adding: "Thanks to the support of all our partner countries & @UN we were able to full implement the Agreement signed in Istanbul."
The first 🇺🇦 grain ship since #RussianAggression has left port. Thanks to the support of all our partner countries & @UN we were able to full implement the Agreement signed in Istanbul. It’s important for us to be one of the guarantors of 🌏 food security. pic.twitter.com/jOz3bdmdfB
Grain tycoon Oleksiy Vadaturskyy was killed in the attack on Mykolaiv, Ukraine, on July 31. (Facebook)
A Ukrainian grain mogul and his wife were killed after the southern city of Mykolaiv came under intense shelling on Sunday, according to Ukrainian officials, as Russian President Vladimir Putin used his nation's Navy Day to issue more militaristic threats to anyone undermining Russia's "sovereignty and freedom."
Grain tycoon Oleksiy Vadaturskyy and his wife, Raisa, died in the attack, according to a statement from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Vadaturskyy was the founder of Mykolaiv-based Nibulon, one of Ukraine's largest grain producing and export companies.
"This is a great loss for Mykolaiv region and all of Ukraine," Zelensky said. "For more than 50 years of his career, Oleksiy Vadaturskyy made an invaluable contribution to the development of the region and the development of the agricultural and shipbuilding industries of our country."
Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Senkevych said cluster munitions blew out windows and destroyed balconies. "Mykolaiv was under mass shelling today. Probably the strongest one of all time," he said in a statement.
A CNN team on the ground heard the explosions caused by the strikes and saw fires that broke out in the shelling. Residents interviewed by CNN also said it was the heaviest shelling in the city since the start of the war.
At least one person was killed and two injured in the attack, according to Vitalii Kim, head of Mykolaiv regional military administration.
A firefighter works to douse a fire in a building in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, in this handout picture released on July 31. (State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Mykolaiv Region/Reuters)
"Lightning speed": In a speech commemorating Russia's Navy Day in St. Petersburg, Putin did not make any mention of Russia's war in Ukraine, but said his country's "current situation is demanding very decisive actions."
"We will provide protection firmly and by all means. The key here is the capabilities of the Navy, which is able to respond with lightning speed to anyone who decides to encroach on our sovereignty and freedom," Putin said.
Putin said delivery of the country's Zircon hypersonic cruise missile systems would begin in the coming months. Russia said in May that it successfully tested the Zircon missile over a distance of 1,000 kilometers (621 miles).
The first shipment of Ukrainian grain left the port of Odesa on Monday under a deal aimed at relieving a global food crisis following Russia's invasion of its neighbor, the Turkish defense ministry said.
"The ship Razoni has left the port of Odesa bound for Tripoli in Lebanon. It is expected in Istanbul on Aug. 2. It will then continue its journey after it has been inspected in Istanbul," the ministry said.
The vessel was carrying 26,000 tons of corn, according to Ukraine's infrastructure minister Oleksandr Kubrakov.
It was expected to reach the mouth of the Bosphorus on Tuesday at around midday, according to Yoruk Isik, an expert on ship movements on the Bosphorus Strait and in the region.
Other convoys would follow, respecting the maritime corridor and the agreed formalities in line with the agreement reached with Russia on July 22, the ministry said.
Built in 1996 and measuring 186 meters (610 feet) in length and 25 meters in width, the vessel has capacity of 30,000 tons.
On July 22, Ukraine and Russia signed a landmark deal with Turkey and the United Nations aimed at relieving a global food crisis caused by blocked Black Sea grain deliveries.
Turkey formally opened a special joint coordination center to oversee the exports in Istanbul last Wednesday, which is being staffed by civilian and military officials from the two warring parties and delegates from Turkey and the UN.
Their primary assignment involves monitoring the safe passage of Ukrainian grain ships along established routes and overseeing their inspection for banned weapons on the way into and out of the Black Sea.
The blockage of deliveries from two of the world's biggest grain exporters has contributed to a spike in prices that has made food imports prohibitively expensive for some of the world's poorest countries.
UN estimates say nearly 50 million people began to face "acute hunger" around the world as a direct consequence of the war.
Wheat prices fell sharply hours after the grain deal was signed.
The first shipment of Ukrainian grain will leave the port of Odessa at 0530 GMT on Monday, the Turkish defense ministry said.
"The departure of the cargo ship Razoni flying the flag of Sierra Leone and loaded with maize will leave the port of Odesa bound for Lebanon at 08:30 (0530 GMT)," the ministry said in a statement.
Other convoys would follow, respecting the maritime corridor and the agreed formalities in line with the agreement reached with Russia on July 22, the ministry said.
According to the Marine Traffic website, the Razoni was still docked in Odesa at 0500 GMT.
Built in 1996 and measuring 186 meters (610 feet) in length and 25 meters in width, the vessel has capacity of 30,000 tons.
On July 22, Ukraine and Russia signed a landmark deal with Turkey and the United Nations aimed at relieving a global food crisis caused by blocked Black Sea grain deliveries.
Turkey formally opened a special joint coordination center to oversee the exports in Istanbul last Wednesday, which is being staffed by civilian and military officials from the two warring parties and delegates from Turkey and the UN.
Their primary assignment involves monitoring the safe passage of Ukrainian grain ships along established routes and overseeing their inspection for banned weapons on the way into and out of the Black Sea.
The blockage of deliveries from two of the world's biggest grain exporters has contributed to a spike in prices that has made food imports prohibitively expensive for some of the world's poorest countries.
UN estimates say nearly 50 million people began to face "acute hunger" around the world as a direct consequence of the war.
Wheat prices fell sharply hours after the grain deal was signed.
Ministers of Turkish defence and Ukraine's infrastructure stressed the need for the continuation of reciprocal support and coordination in the process.
The Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul was opened on Wednesday in a ceremony in which the Turkish defence chief took part.
(Reuters)
Türkiye’s national defence minister and Ukraine’s infrastructure minister spoke by phone about preparations for Ukrainian grain shipments from the country’s Black Sea ports, said the Turkish National Defence Ministry.
Hulusi Akar and Oleksandr Kubrakov expressed satisfaction on Wednesday over the opening of the Joint Coordination Center by the two countries, the ministry said in a statement.
The two ministers also exchanged ideas on the preparations for the grain shipments, which are supposed to start this week.
Akar and Kubrakov stressed the need for the continuation of reciprocal support and coordination in the process, the statement added.
The Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul was opened on Wednesday in a ceremony in which the Turkish defence chief took part.
Türkiye, the UN, Russia and Ukraine signed a deal last week to reopen three Ukrainian ports – Odesa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny – for grain stuck for months due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, which has entered its sixth month.
The deal came after a general agreement was reached between stakeholders on a UN-led plan during talks on July 13 to establish a coordination center in Istanbul to carry out joint inspections at the entrance and exit of the harbors and to ensure the safety of the routes.
Internationally praised for its mediator role, Türkiye coordinated with Moscow and Kiev to open a corridor from the Ukrainian port city of Odesa to resume global grain shipments.
Russia continues to target Ukraine’s southern Black Sea regions of Odessa and Mykolaiv with air strikes, hitting private buildings and port infrastructure with missiles, says Kiev as the conflict continues on 154th day.
The Russian foreign minister briefed resident diplomats on current developments related to the Russia-Ukraine conflict in an event at the Russian Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
(AP)
Wednesday, July 27, 2022
Moscow lashes out at West
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has lashed out at the West for creating a grains supply chain crisis by slapping unjustified sanctions on Moscow.
Speaking at the Russian Embassy in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, Lavrov said that Western media was presenting the "situation in a totally distorted manner.”
“Of course, the situation in Ukraine has a negative impact on food markets, but not because of Russia’s special military operation,” he said, instead pointing to the coronavirus pandemic and the West's "reckless policy...on so-called green transition"
He added that China, which has developed the world's number one economy will be the next target because it “…defeated the West on their own turf.”
Russia will stick with space station until at least 2028
Russian space officials told their US counterparts that Moscow expects to remain on the International Space Station at least until their own outpost in orbit is built in 2028, NASA's space operations chief said.
Russia's assurance on Tuesday came after the newly appointed head of its space agency, Roscosmos, surprised NASA earlier in the day by announcing that Moscow intended to end more than two decades of partnership on the space station "after 2024."
"We're not getting any indication at any working level that anything's changed," Kathy Lueders, NASA's space operations chief, said on Wednesday, adding the National Aeronautics and Space Administration relations with Roscosmos remained "business as usual."
Police officer killed by Ukrainian 'resistance' in Kherson
A police officer in the Russian-controlled city of Kherson was killed by an explosive device planted by the Ukrainian "resistance movement" and another one was injured, Ukraine's defence ministry said.
The reported killing is the latest in a series of attacks on local officials in regions captured by Russia since it attacked Ukraine in February.
On Saturday, the directorate urged citizens in the Kherson region to reveal where Moscow's troops were living and which locals were collaborating with the occupying authorities.
EU Court upholds broadcast ban on Russia Today
The Court of Justice of the European Union upheld the EU ban on Russia Today (RT) broadcasts that the bloc imposed as part of its sanctions in response to Russia’s offensive in Ukraine.
The EU Court ruling found the sanctions “aimed at suspending the activity of a vehicle for propaganda in support of that military aggression” did not violate the general principle of freedom of expression.
It also stated that the limitations to RT’s right to be heard are “proportionate, inasmuch as they are appropriate and necessary, to the aims pursued” despite “the exceptional context and the extreme urgency in which the contested acts were adopted.”
Russia cuts gas through Nord Stream 1 to 20% of capacity
Russia’s Gazprom has halved the amount of natural gas flowing through a major pipeline from Russia to Europe to 20 percent of capacity.
It’s the latest reduction to Nord Stream 1 that Russia has blamed on technical problems, but European countries call a political move to sow uncertainty and push up prices amid the conflict in Ukraine.
The Russian state-controlled energy giant announced on Monday that it would carry out the reduction citing equipment repairs, further raising fears that Russia could cut off gas completely.
Russia cuts gas supplies to make winter harsh for Europe — Zelenskyy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia was deliberately cutting supplies of natural gas to impose “price terror” against Europe, and he called for more sanctions on Moscow.
“Using Gazprom, Moscow is doing all it can to make this coming winter as harsh as possible for the European countries. Terror must be answered — impose sanctions,” he said in a video address.
US Yellen discusses price cap on Russian oil with UK's Zahawi
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has highlighted a proposed price cap on Russian oil on a phone call with British Finance Minister Nadhim Zahawi, a move to reduce the impact of the conflict in Ukraine on global energy prices.
Both discussed the need to continue to accelerate budgetary support for Ukraine, and opportunities to build on sanctions imposed on Russia, the US Treasury Department said in a statement.
Bridge closed in Russia-held Kherson after HIMARS shelling
Authorities in the Russian-controlled Ukrainian city of Kherson have closed the city's only bridge across the Dnieper river after it came under fire from US-supplied high mobility artillery rocket systems (HIMARS).
The Antonovsky bridge has been closed for civilians but its structural integrity has not suffered from the shelling, Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Russian-appointed city administration, told Interfax.
Separately, TASS quoted the official saying that HIMARS had targeted the bridge.
Russia continues to target Ukraine’s southern Black Sea regions of Odessa and Mykolaiv with air strikes, hitting private buildings and port infrastructure with missiles, says Kiev as the conflict continues on 154th day
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Monday there is “no obstacle” to the implementation of a UN-Türkiye brokered grain export deal between Russia and Ukraine.
His remarks came after Russian missiles struck Ukraine's key Black Sea port of Odessa on Saturday in an attack that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “unequivocally” condemned.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said striking a target crucial for grain exports a day after the deal was signed in Istanbul was particularly reprehensible and demonstrated Russia’s total disregard for international law and commitments.
But speaking at a press conference in the Republic of Congo after a meeting with President Denis Sassou N'Guesso, Lavrov said the strikes at Odesa “should not affect” grain exports as they targeted “depots of arms and ammunition supplied to Kyiv by the West.”
“There is no obstacle to the implementation of the agreement of July 22,” he added.
Lavrov insisted that Russia would maintain strikes against Ukrainian military targets, as in the obligations that Russia took on, “nothing would forbid us from continuing the special military operation.”
The top Russian diplomat also accused the West of being responsible for the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine.
Lavrov made his remarks on the second leg of his Africa trip as Russia seeks to strengthen its cooperation in the region in the face of the growing isolation of Moscow by the West due to the war on Ukraine.
He started his visit in Egypt on Sunday before heading to the Republic of Congo and arrived in Uganda late Monday, from where he will head to Ethiopia.
Ukraine's Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov, who was part of the talks in Istanbul, said Monday that the first grain shipments under the deal were expected to take place this week.
The war in Ukraine has compounded the problem of food insecurity around the world.
Russia and Ukraine account for 30% of the global wheat trade.
The war has disrupted wheat exports, driving wheat prices up by 60% in Africa, the African Development Bank (AfDB) said in April.
Türkiye’s president on Monday called on the parties who signed a deal last week to unblock Ukraine’s Black Sea grain exports to respect and implement the pact.
"We expect everyone to take ownership of their signatures and act in accordance with their responsibilities," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a live interview with national broadcaster TRT Haber.
"With this agreement, the effects of the global food crisis, which is reaching serious dimensions, will begin to ease," he added.
On Friday, Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed a landmark deal to resume grain exports through the Ukrainian ports of Odesa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny after months of blockage due to the Russia-Ukraine war, now in its sixth month.
Under the deal, a joint coordination center was set up in Istanbul to carry out inspections at the entrances and exits of harbors, and to ensure the safety of the routes.
Addressing Russia's weekend attack on the port of Odesa, Erdogan said it "saddens" Türkiye, adding that "a failure here would work against all of us."
Across Ukraine's battlefields, there has been no let-up in fighting that has entered its 152nd day as the Kremlin says a Russian missile strike against the port of Odessa should not affect grain exports.
The World Food Programme (WFP) said it was optimistic about a UN-brokered deal to reopen Ukrainian ports for grain exports but warned the agreement alone will not solve the global food crisis.
(AA)
Monday, July 25, 2022
First Ukraine grain ships may move in days: UN
The first ships to export Ukraine grain from the country's Black Sea ports may move within a few days under a deal agreed on Friday by Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye and the United Nations, a UN spokesperson said.
A Joint Coordination Center will liaise with the shipping industry and will publish detailed procedures for ships in the near future, said deputy UN spokesperson Farhan Haq.
UN World Food Programme optimistic on Ukraine grain export deal
The World Food Programme (WFP) said it was optimistic about a UN-brokered deal to reopen Ukrainian ports for grain exports but warned the agreement alone will not solve the global food crisis even if it is implemented effectively.
The WFP itself has had to cut aid this year in key hunger hotspots like Yemen and South Sudan due to global inflation and critical funding gaps, both exacerbated by the Ukraine conflict.
The current global food crisis is not a price crisis alone, and that man-made conflict, climate shocks and the Covid-19 pandemic will continue to drive up global food insecurity even if Friday's deal holds, a WFP spokesperson said.
"We are preparing for everything to start this week," says Ukraine's Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov, who led Ukraine's delegation at last week's grain talks in Istanbul pic.twitter.com/7E85Ie4hxO
Ukraine claims it has destroyed 50 Russian ammunition depots
Ukraine said its forces had used US-supplied HIMARS rocket systems to destroy 50 Russian ammunition depots since receiving the weapons last month.
Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov underlined the growing impact that the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) are having as Ukraine tries to repel Russia's attack.
Reznikov also said Ukraine had received three Gepard anti-aircraft armoured fighting vehicles, the first of 15 expected, and that Kiev was expecting to take delivery of several dozen Leopard tanks.
This cuts their (Russian) logistical chains and takes away their ability to conduct active fighting and cover our armed forces with heavy shelling
Oleksiy Reznikov, Ukraine's Defence Minister
Russia wants to end Ukraine's “unacceptable regime” - Lavrov
Russia’s top diplomat said Moscow’s overarching goal in Ukraine is to free its people from its “unacceptable regime,” expressing the Kremlin’s military aims in some of the bluntest terms yet as its forces pummel the country with artillery barrages and airstrikes.
Lavrov said Moscow is determined to help Ukrainians “liberate themselves from the burden of this absolutely unacceptable regime.”
Lavrov accused Kiev and its Western allies of spouting propaganda intended to ensure that Ukraine “becomes the eternal enemy of Russia."
Russian and Ukrainian people would continue to live together. We will certainly help Ukrainian people to get rid of the regime, which is absolutely anti-people and anti-historical
Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister
Kremlin says Odessa strike should not hamper grain exports
The Kremlin has said that Russian strikes on Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odessa "should not affect" a Türkiye-brokered and UN-backed deal between Moscow and Kiev to unblock grain exports.
"This cannot and should not affect the start of shipment," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters, two days after Moscow hit the port.
He said Moscow's strikes targeted "exclusively" military infrastructure and were "not connected with the agreement on the export of grain". The weekend strikes on Odessa came less than a day after Moscow and Kiev signed the landmark deal.
Russia says it destroyed HIMARS ammo depot in Ukraine
Russia's Defence Ministry says its forces have destroyed an ammunition depot for US-made HIMARS rocket systems in Bogdanovtsy, in Ukraine's Khmelnytskyi region.
The reports were not independently verified.
Russia has previously said it destroyed several of the HIMARS systems supplied to Ukraine by the West, in claims denied by Kiev.
Britain says fighting continues in Ukraine’s Donbass and Kherson
Inconclusive fighting has continued in both Donbass and Kherson regions in eastern and southern Ukraine, British military intelligence has said.
Russian commanders continue to face a dilemma - whether to resource Russia's offensive in the east, or to bolster the defence in the west, Britain's defence ministry said on Twitter.
The ministry added in its regular bulletin that on July 18, the British intelligence identified a Russian military vehicle refit and refurbishment facility near Barvinok, in Russia's Belgorod Oblast, which is 10 kilometres from the Ukrainian border.
"At least 300 damaged vehicles were present, including main battle tanks, armoured personnel carriers, and general support trucks," the update added.
Putin will not attend Japanese ex-PM Abe's funeral, Kremlin says
Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the state funeral of Japanese former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the Kremlin has said.
"No, Putin has no plans to visit Japan and attend the funeral," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters, adding that Russia was yet to decide the country's presence at the funeral.
The Japanese government has notified all the countries it has diplomatic ties with, including Russia, of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's state funeral, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yos hihiko Isozaki said.
Zelenskyy says Ukrainians won't be 'cowed'
After five months of Russian attacks,
Ukraine will continue to do all it can to inflict as much damage
on its enemy as possible, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.
"Even the occupiers admit we will win," he said as he hailed
the upcoming day of Ukrainian statehood, July 28, a new annual
holiday that Zelenskyy announced in August last year. "We hear
it in their conversations all the time. In what they are telling
their relatives when they call them."
Like every day in the last months, Zelenskyy said that
Ukraine was not letting up. "We do everything to inflict the
highest possible damage on the enemy and to gather for Ukraine
as much support as possible."
He said Ukraine had an important week ahead, with the
holiday approaching in the midst of what he called a "cruel
war." "But we will celebrate against all odds. Because Ukrainians
won't be cowed."
Russian investigator seeks new tribunal for Ukraine
The head of Russia's investigative committee has said Moscow had charged 92 members of Ukrainian armed forces with "crimes against humanity" and proposed an international tribunal backed by countries including Bolivia, Iran and Syria.
The government's Rossiiskaya Gazeta quoted committee head Alexander Bastrykin as accusing "more than 220 persons, including representatives of the high command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as commanders of military units that shelled the civilian population."
The Ukrainians were involved in "crimes against the peace and security of humanity, which have no statute of limitations," he said.
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