Desk Report
Publish: 23 Jul 2022, 10:25 pm
Russian missiles hit Ukraine's southern port of Odesa on Saturday || Photo: AP
Russian
missiles hit Ukraine's southern port of Odesa on Saturday, the Ukrainian
military said, threatening a landmark deal signed just the day before to
unblock grain exports from Black Sea ports and ease global food shortages
caused by the war.
The
deal signed on Friday by Moscow and Kyiv and mediated by the United Nations and
Turkey was hailed as a breakthrough after nearly five months of punishing
fighting since Russia invaded its neighbour. It is seen as crucial to curbing
soaring global food prices by allowing grain exports to be shipped from Black
Sea ports including Odesa.
UN
officials had said on Friday they hoped the agreement would be operational in a
few weeks but it was not yet clear if that would still be possible given
Saturday's strikes.
Two
Russian Kalibr missiles hit infrastructure at the Odesa port, while another two
were shot down by air defence forces, Ukraine's Operational Command South wrote
on the Telegram messaging app.
"In
the context of what is currently happening with Ukrainian grain, the strike was
carried out exactly where the grain is," said Yuriy Ignat, spokesperson
for the Ukrainian air force.
UN
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr
Kubrakov, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Turkish Defence Minister
Hulusi Akar attend a signing ceremony in Istanbul, Turkey Jul 22, 2022. REUTERS
UN
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr
Kubrakov, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Turkish Defence Minister
Hulusi Akar attend a signing ceremony in Istanbul, Turkey Jul 22, 2022. REUTERS
The
cruise missiles were fired from warships in the Black Sea near Crimea, he
added.
A
Russian defence ministry statement on Saturday outlining progress in the war
did not mention any strike in Odesa. The ministry did not immediately reply to
a Reuters request for comment.
The
strike appeared to violate the terms of Friday's deal, which would allow safe
passage in and out of Odesa and two other Ukrainian ports.
UN
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "unequivocally condemned" the
reported strikes, a spokesperson said, adding that all parties had committed to
the grain export deal.
"These
products are desperately needed to address the global food crisis and ease the
suffering of millions of people in need around the globe," spokesperson Farhan
Haq said in a statement.
"Full
implementation by the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Turkey is
imperative."
On
Friday, Guterres had called the deal "a beacon on the Black Sea".
SAFE
PASSAGE
Ukraine
has mined waters near its ports as part of its war defences, but under the deal
pilots will guide ships along safe channels in its territorial waters.
A
Joint Coordination Center (JCC) staffed by members of all four parties to the
agreement will then monitor ships transitting the Black Sea to Turkey's
Bosphorus strait and off to world markets.
All
sides agreed on Friday there would be no attacks on these entities and that it
would be the task of JCC to resolve if any prohibited activity is observed.
Ukraine
foreign ministry spokesperson Oleh Nikolenko said on Facebook that "the
Russian missile is (Russian President) Vladimir Putin's spit in the face"
of Guterres and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, adding Ukraine was grateful
for the lengths they had gone to to reach the agreement.
The
foreign ministry called on the United Nations and Turkey to ensure that Russia
fulfils its commitments.
The
US ambassador to Kyiv, Bridget Brink, called the strike "outrageous",
writing on Twitter, "The Kremlin continues to weaponize food. Russia must
be held to account".
SOARING
FOOD PRICES
A
blockade of Ukrainian ports by Russia's Black Sea fleet since Moscow's Feb 24
invasion of its neighbour has trapped tens of millions of tonnes of grain and
stranded many ships.
This
has worsened global supply chain bottlenecks and, along with Western sanctions
on Russia, stoked food and energy price inflation. Russia and Ukraine are major
global wheat suppliers, and the war sent food prices soaring. A global food
crisis has pushed some 47 million people into "acute hunger," according
to the World Food Programme.
Friday's
deal seeks to avert famine in poorer nations by injecting more wheat, sunflower
oil, fertilizer and other products into world markets.
UN
officials said on Friday the deal, expected to be fully operational in a few
weeks, and would restore grain shipments from the three reopened ports to
pre-war levels of 5 million tonnes a month.
Moscow
has denied responsibility for the food crisis, blaming Western sanctions for
slowing its own food and fertiliser exports and Ukraine for mining the approaches
to its Black Sea ports.
Ukrainian
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday the deal would make around $10
billion worth of grain available for sale with roughly 20 million tonnes of
last year's harvest to be exported._Reuters
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