Russia strikes Odessa port after grain deal: Kyiv
Ukraine says Russian missiles had struck the Odessa port, a key Black Sea terminal, one day after Moscow and Kyiv penned a deal to resume grain exports blocked by the war. “The enemy attacked the Odessa sea port with Kalibr cruise missiles. Two of the missiles were shot down by air defences. Two hit port infrastructure,” Sergiy Bratchuk, a representative of the Odessa region, says in a statement on social media.
Russia and Ukraine signed the landmark deal with the United Nations and Turkey in Istanbul a day earlier to unblock grain exports.
Zelensky accuses Russia of violating deals
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenksy accuses Russia of routinely violating agreements after the Odessa attack.
“This proves only one thing: no matter what Russia says and promises, it will find ways not to implement it,” Zelensky says during a meeting with US lawmakers, according to a statement from the Ukrainian presidency.
UN, EU condemns strike on Odessa
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres “unequivocally” condemns the attack.
“The Secretary-General unequivocally condemns reported strikes today in the Ukrainian port of Odesa,” his deputy spokesman Farhan Haq says in a statement.
“Full implementation (of the deal) by the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Turkey is imperative,” Haq adds.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell slams what he called Russia’s “reprehensible” missile attack.
“Striking a target crucial for grain export a day after the signature of (the) Istanbul agreements is particularly reprehensible and again demonstrates Russia’s total disregard for international law and commitments,” he tweets.
Two Americans die in Ukraine
Two Americans have died in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, the US State Department says.
“We can confirm the recent deaths of two US citizens in the Donbas region of Ukraine. We are in touch with the families and providing all possible consular assistance,” a State Department spokesperson says.
The State Department says it had no further information “out of respect to the families during this difficult time”.
The brunt of fighting in Ukraine in recent months has focused on the industrial Donbas region.
SOURCE AFP