2023-07-18 07:16:18
Grain agreement: Blinken considers Russian withdrawal “inadmissible”
The head of the American diplomacy described Monday as “unacceptable” the Russian decision not to renew the agreement on the export of Ukrainian cereals and assured that this decision would lead to an increase in food prices . Moscow’s choice to use “food as a weapon (…) will complicate the delivery of food to places that desperately need it and lead to higher prices”, the Secretary of State said. US State Antony Blinken.
Antony Blink. AFP/Brendan Smialowski.
Activated air defense in the Odessa region after the expiration of the grain agreement
Ukrainian air defense was activated early Tuesday in the Odessa region (south), a key area for the grain agreement which expired Monday evening, local authorities said.
“Odessa. Air defense combat operations continue,” Sergiy Bratchuk, an official with the administration of the Odessa region, said on Telegram.
According to the Ukrainian operational command for the south of the country, “the enemy is attacking the southern regions with unmanned aerial vehicles”, he said on Telegram.
Ukrainian cereals: the last load was inspected
The TQ SAMSUN freighter was inspected on Monday evening. REUTERS/Mehmet Emin Caliskan
The last cargo ship carrying grain from Ukraine via the Black Sea was inspected Monday evening in Istanbul, a few hours before the expiration of the international agreement, announced the UN. “The inspection of the TQ SAMSUN cargo ship was finalized by the Joint Coordination Center” (JCC), explains the latter, adding that it was the 1972nd inspection carried out by him since August 1, 2022 under the Initiative for cereals in the Black Sea.
The cargo flying the Turkish flag had “left the port of Odessa on Sunday and arrived today at the inspection site north of Istanbul on the Black Sea”, continues the JCC which was responsible for supervising the implementation of this agreement signed in Istanbul in July 2022 with Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations.
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