Ukraine’s Armed Forces accused Russia of attacking infrastructure in the southern port city of Odessa with missiles on Saturday, in what would be a blow to the agreement signed less than 24 hours earlier to unblock grain exports. from Black Sea ports.
The pact signed by Moscow and Kiev, mediated by Turkey and the UN, is seen as crucial to curbing global food prices and allowing certain exports to be shipped from Ukrainian ports.
“The enemy attacked the commercial sea port of Odessa with Kalibr cruise missiles,” Sergi Brachuk, a spokesman for the regional government, wrote in a note posted on social media. “Two missiles hit the port infrastructure, while another two were shot down by air defense forces.”
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry has asked the United Nations and Ankara to ensure that Russia fulfills its commitments and authorizes passage through the grain corridor. The Kremlin Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Reuters news agency.
On Twitter, US Ambassador to Kiev Bridget Brink called the attack “outrageous”. “Russia attacks Odessa less than 24 hours after signing an agreement to allow shipments of agricultural exports. The Kremlin continues to use food as weapons. Russia must be held accountable.”
The blockade of Ukrainian ports by the Russian Black Sea fleet prevented tens of millions of tons of grain and many ships from leaving, which worsened global supply chain bottlenecks and, along with Western sanctions on Russia, fueled inflation. of food and energy prices.
The agreement signed on Friday aims to prevent hunger among tens of millions of people in the poorest countries, mainly in Africa, by injecting more wheat, sunflower oil, fertilizers and other products into world markets, including for humanitarian needs, partly at prices lower.
UN officials said the deal should be fully in place in a few weeks, returning grain shipments from three ports to pre-war levels of 5 million tonnes a month.
Under the pact, Ukrainian officials would guide ships through safe channels in mined waters to three ports, including Odessa, where they would be loaded with grain. Moscow denies responsibility for the crisis, blaming sanctions imposed by Western countries for slowing its own food and fertilizer exports and Ukraine for placing explosives near its Black Sea ports.
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday the deal would make about $10 billion worth of grain available for sale, with about 20 million tonnes of last year’s crop to be exported.
Russia and Ukraine are the main global suppliers of wheat. A global food crisis has put some 47 million people into “acute hunger”, according to the World Food Program.
