Drussian missiles targeted the port of Odessa on the Black Sea on Saturday July 23, the day after the signing by kyiv and Moscow of an agreement to allow the resumption of Ukrainian grain exports blocked by the war. According to the Ukrainian army, a grain processing plant in Odessa was hit. In reaction to this attack, Ukraine accused Vladimir Putin of having “spit in the face” of the UN and Turkey by attacking the port city.
Russia will assume “full responsibility” if the agreement on grain exports fails, kyiv had warned. For his part, the UN chief “unequivocally condemned” the attack. European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell accused Russia of carrying out a “reprehensible” missile attack. “Hitting a crucial grain export target one day after the signing of the Istanbul Accords once again demonstrates Russia’s utter disregard for international law and commitments,” he wrote on Twitter.
Less than 24 hours after an agreement between kyiv and Moscow
These strikes come the day after the agreement on cereals that the two belligerents initialed in two identical but separate texts, at the request of the Ukrainians who refused to sign with the Russians. The African Union “welcomed” this agreement on Saturday, hailing a “welcome development” for the continent which faces an increased risk of famine. The agreement should make it possible to export between 20 and 25 million tonnes of grain blocked in Ukraine.
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The signing of this fiercely negotiated text under the auspices of the United Nations and Ankara took place in Istanbul in the presence in particular of the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, and President Erdogan. The conditions are met for its application “in the coming days”, assured Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu shortly after. Washington made Moscow responsible for the success of the operation.
Ukraine, for its part, has shown itself to be circumspect. It is now “the responsibility of the UN” to ensure compliance with the agreement, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in the evening, saying he expected “provocations, attempts to discredit Ukrainian and international efforts “. “The agreement fully corresponds to the interests of Ukraine”, he however welcomed, adding that the Ukrainian military would continue to control “100% all access to the ports”, which Russia initially demanded the demining.
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A fragile agreement
The main measure resulting from the agreement is the establishment of “secure corridors” to allow the circulation in the Black Sea of merchant ships, which Moscow and kyiv undertake “not to attack”, explained a United Nations official. united. It will be valid for “120 days”, the time to take out the approximately 25 million tonnes accumulated in silos in Ukraine as a new harvest approaches.
The negotiators, however, gave up on clearing the Black Sea of mines – mainly laid by the Ukrainians to protect their coasts. The UN said Ukrainian pilots would clear the way for cargo ships in territorial waters. As for the inspections of ships departing from and heading to Ukraine, demanded by Russia to prevent them from being used to bring weapons, they will take place in the ports of Istanbul.
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A few hours before the signing, the Kremlin had stressed that if Ukrainian cereals had to reach world markets, it was also necessary “to allow the markets to receive additional volumes of fertilizers and cereals” from Russia, the export of which was held back by Western sanctions. In addition, Washington announced on Friday a new tranche of military aid to Ukraine to the tune of 270 million dollars, including in particular four new Himars precision artillery systems, and up to 500 Phoenix Ghost kamikaze drones.
Three dead in the center of the country
In addition, at least three people, including a soldier, were killed when Russian missiles fell on railway infrastructure and a military airfield in central Ukraine on Saturday. Russian strikes on central Ukraine have resumed after a lull in the fighting which focused on the Donbass (East), whose territory is now mainly controlled by Moscow forces. According to local authorities, 13 Russian cruise missiles launched from the sea fell near the town of Kropyvnytskyi located in the Kirovograd region. The city of Kropyvnytskyi had before the Russian invasion about 220,000 people. It is located about 300 kilometers south of kyiv, the Ukrainian capital.
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