In a world that is connected at all levels, on a planet with open markets, internet, global partnerships and companies with huge interests, a war like the one in Ukrainecould only cause chain effects across all latitudes and longitudes, especially in Europe and in third countries, which depend to a large extent on the products they produce in both Ukraine and Russia.
The blockade of Ukrainian ports by Russian forces and the seizure of millions of tonnes of grain in warehouses has initially pushed prices up, but in the short term it is likely to cause a food crisis not only in the poorest countries but also in other countries. of the so-called West. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putinto liberate the ports on the Black Sea, opened a small “window” in negotiation and diplomacy and gave birth to hope even for a solution to the crisis in Ukraine.
Russia’s reaction was immediate and … surprised the West, which did not expect Moscow to propose its terms so soon. The Kremlin, in response to the UN Secretary General, set a condition for the opening of Ukrainian ports and the release of grain, the review of sanctions imposed.
The head of the United Nations World Food Program, David Beasley, appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, saying: “If you have any heart, please open these ports.” “Russia must allow the safe and secure export of grain stored in Ukrainian ports,” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during a US ministerial meeting in New York. The World Food Program feeds about 125 million people and buys 50% of its grain from Ukraine.
The Interfax network referred to the Russian Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs Andrei Rudenko“You should not only appeal to the Russian Federation, but also look deeply into all the causes of the current food crisis, and above all, these are the sanctions imposed on Russia by the US and “EU intervening in free trade, which includes foods such as wheat, fertilizers and more.”
The Kremlin paves the way for the annexation of the regions of Ukraine
The road to legalization of the annexation of the territories of Ukraine occupied by Russian troops opens the Kremlin, whose spokesman said their future would depend on the will of their inhabitants.
THE Dmitry Peshkov said on Thursday that the residents of these areas will decide on their future. “They will decide how they will go in the future and who they want to be with,” said a spokesman for the Russian presidency, announcing a referendum similar to that of Crimea, which was annexed after the invasion of Russia.
Peshkov also referred to the presence of the Russian army in the regions of southern and eastern Ukrainesaying that they contribute to tackling the humanitarian crisis, as there is no electricity and other basic infrastructure for the residents.
Macron: Moldova should join EU immediately – War may spread to neighboring countries
The French president Emanuel Macron stated that it wants the European Union (EU) to move forward with a “Rapid opinion” on her request Moldavian for its accession to the Union, during his meeting with the Moldovan President Maya Santou in Paris.
Macron added that the risk of a conflict between her could not be ruled out Ukraine and Russia to be extended to other neighboring countries.
Fears that Moldova could be involved in the conflict in Ukraine have risen as pro-Russian separatists in the Transnistrian region have blamed Kyiv for shootings, bombings and cross-border drone strikes.
Last week, Moldovan Foreign Minister Nikos Popescu told Reuters that there was evidence in the pro-Russian separatist region of Moldova that they were trying to destabilize the region and incite
Russia threatens Ukraine with shutdown of Zaporizhia station
THE Russia wants to stop her channeling to Ukraine of energy produced by the Zaporizhia nuclear power plantthe largest in Europe, occupied by the Russian army, unless Kyiv pays Moscow for the electricity generatedsaid a deputy prime minister, Marat Husnulin.
These statements are in line with those of other Russian officials in recent weeks, which suggest that Russia is preparing for an ongoing occupationif not an annexation of the zones of southern Ukraine that it has brought under its control, the Kherson region and a significant part of that of Zaporizhia.
«If Ukraine’s energy system is ready to pay, then (the station) will be able to work for Ukraine. If (Ukraine) does not accept, then (the station) will work for Russia“, Said the Husnulinduring a visit today to the site of the nuclear facility, according to Russian news agencies.
«We have a lot of experience from nuclear power plants, we have companies in Russia that have this experience, there is no doubt that (that of Zaporizhia) will continue to operate“, he said.
THE Ukrainian nuclear service Energoatom stated this morning that the station was still supplying electricity to Ukraine.
In 2021, ie before the Russian attack on Ukraine that started on February 24, 2022, the station accounted for 20% of annual production electricity in Ukraine and 47% of that generated by the Ukrainian nuclear park.
Moscow forces took control of the station in the southern Ukrainian city of Enerkhodar in early March, which separates the Dnieper River from the regional capital of Zaporizhia, which is still under Ukrainian control.
The clashes that took place there during the first days of the war raised fears of a possible nuclear disaster in the country where a reactor exploded in 1986 at Chernobyl.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Husnulin also said that Russia was there to stay, implying that annexation was an option.
«I believe that the future of this region is to work within the framework of the friendly Russian family. That’s why I came here, to help the most in the integration“, he said.
Russian officials and pro-Russian authorities, appointed by Moscow, also said last week that the Kherson region would likely be annexed to Russia.
Russia’s control of the Sea of ​​Azov (Kherson, Zaporizhia and Donetsk), including the port of Mariupol, allows the creation of a land ‘bridge’ connecting Russian territory with the Crimean peninsula, which it annexed in 2014.
At the start of the Russian offensive, Russian President Vladimir Putin had said that Russia was not going to occupy Ukrainian territory.
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