The war in Europe: In the shadow of the continued heavy fighting in many centers in Ukraine, the president Volodymyr Zelensky He gave a special interview to the “Wall Street Journal” newspaper, and stated that “without Russia returning the territories, the war will continue.” This, against the background of the foreign minister’s words, Sergey Lavrov, because Russia is prepared to annex additional territories. Lavrov also claimed that “the export goals in Ukraine have changed, they now include control over the new territories.”
In the meantime, Zelensky added that “Russia’s actions in the territories it conquered will encourage a wider conflict, and give Moscow an opportunity to arm itself for the next round.” The Ukrainian president also referred to the advanced rocket system (HIMARS) provided by the US, and stated that “the West’s supply of weapons, although it makes a substantial difference, is much lower than what Ukraine needs to do to change the direction of the war.”
Destruction in Svorodonsk, Ukraine (Photo: REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko)
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A wheat field burns in Ukraine (Photo: Reuters)
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The US army in training with the Polish army on the border of Ukraine (Photo: Reuters)
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Ukrainian military forces in the shadow of tensions with Russia (Photo: Reuters)
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A Russian vehicle abandoned during the fighting in the Kharkiv region, Ukraine (Photo: REUTERS/Sofia Gatilova TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY/File Photo)
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The war in Ukraine, Ukrainian soldiers walking next to a Russian tank (Photo: Reuters)
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Later, the Ukrainian president emphasized that “first of all, the territories must be liberated and then we can negotiate and discuss how we can live side by side for the next hundred years. There is a more urgent need for air defense systems that could prevent Russia from raining long-range missiles on the Ukrainian cities that are hundreds of miles away kilometers from the battlefields”. Zelensky also referred to the grain agreement signed with Russia. According to him, “Moscow’s diplomatic concessions may stabilize the markets a little, but will only provide a temporary respite.”
As I recall, the two countries reached agreements on the resumption of wheat exports through the Black Sea. The representatives of the countries signed an agreement mediated by the United Nations in Turkey last night. At the meeting, which was held in Istanbul, the Secretary General of the United Nations was present, Antonio Guterresand the president of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The deal is designed to ensure the safe passage of fertilizer products made in Russia, which are essential for ensuring global food security. This, against the background of efforts to alleviate a global food crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
U.N. officials said they hoped preliminary shipments could begin as early as Saturday, hoping to reach pre-war export levels from the three Ukrainian ports — a rate of five million tons of grain a month — within weeks. Guterres said at the signing that such a deal between two countries at war is ” unprecedented” and that it will “bring relief to developing countries on the brink of bankruptcy and to the most vulnerable people on the brink of starvation.” He also noted that the agreement “will help stabilize global food prices, which were already at record levels even before the war – a real nightmare for developing countries.”