Ukraine says Russian missiles hit Odesa port; landmark grain deal at risk
By Natalia Zinets
KYIV (Reuters) -Russian missiles hit the most important port of Odesa in southern Ukraine on Saturday, the Ukrainian army mentioned, dealing a blow to a deal signed on Friday to unblock grain exports from Black Sea ports.
The landmark deal signed by Moscow and Kyiv on Friday is seen as essential to curbing hovering world meals costs, easing a provide crunch by permitting sure exports to be shipped from Black Sea ports together with Odesa.
U.N. officers had mentioned on Friday they hoped the settlement can be operational in a number of weeks but it surely was not but clear if that will nonetheless be attainable given Saturday’s strikes.
“The enemy attacked the Odesa sea commerce port with Kalibr cruise missiles,” Ukraine’s Operational Command South wrote on the Telegram messaging app. Two missiles hit infrastructure on the port, whereas one other two have been shot down by air defence forces, it mentioned.
Ukraine’s international ministry referred to as on the United Nations and Turkey, which mediated Friday’s deal, to make sure that Russia fulfils its commitments and permits free passage within the grain hall.
The U.S. ambassador to Kyiv, Bridget Brink, referred to as the strike “outrageous”.
“The Kremlin continues to weaponize meals. Russia have to be held to account,” Brink wrote on Twitter.
Russia’s defence ministry didn’t instantly reply to a Reuters request for remark.
A blockade of Ukrainian ports by Russia’s Black Sea fleet since Moscow’s Feb. 24 invasion of its neighbour has trapped tens of tens of millions of tonnes of grain and stranded many ships. This has worsened world provide chain bottlenecks and, together with Western sanctions on Russia, stoked meals and vitality value inflation.
Russia and Ukraine are main world wheat suppliers, and the battle despatched meals costs hovering. A world meals disaster has pushed some 47 million individuals into “acute starvation,” in line with the World Meals Programme.
Friday’s deal seeks to avert famine in poorer nations by injecting extra wheat, sunflower oil, fertilizer and different merchandise into world markets together with for humanitarian wants, partly at decrease costs.
U.N. officers mentioned on Friday the deal, anticipated to be absolutely operational in a number of weeks, would restore grain shipments from the three reopened ports to pre-war ranges of 5 million tonnes a month.
Beneath the deal, Ukrainian officers would information ships by way of secure channels throughout mined waters to 3 ports, together with Odesa, the place they might be loaded with grain.
Moscow has denied accountability for the disaster, blaming Western sanctions for slowing its personal meals and fertiliser exports and Ukraine for mining the approaches to its Black Sea ports.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy mentioned on Friday the deal would make round $10 billion price of grain accessible on the market with roughly 20 million tonnes of final 12 months’s harvest to be exported.
(Reporting by Reuters bureausWriting by Jacob Gronholt-PedersenEditing by Frances Kerry)
