Ukraine war: Putin suspends Black Sea grain exports deal

1 year ago 37

Russian President Vladimir Putin astatine  a property   league  successful  Sochi connected  31 OctoberImage source, Getty Images

President Vladimir Putin has said Russia is suspending - but not ending - its information successful a woody that allows harmless transition to vessels carrying Ukrainian atom exports.

Moscow pulled retired of the UN-brokered statement connected Saturday, alleging that Ukraine had utilized a information corridor successful the Black Sea to onslaught its fleet.

The UN says determination were nary ships wrong the corridor that night.

Ukraine has not claimed work for the attack.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the woody would beryllium honoured and accused Russia of "blackmailing the satellite with hunger" - a assertion Russia denies.

Despite the fallout, 12 ships near Ukraine's Black Sea ports connected Monday, Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said.

After Russia invaded Ukraine successful February, its navy imposed a blockade connected Ukraine's Black Sea ports, trapping astir 20 cardinal tonnes of atom meant for export wrong the country, on with different foodstuffs specified arsenic maize and sunflower oil.

But successful July, a woody betwixt Ukraine and Russia was brokered by Turkey and the UN, agreeing to resume atom exports done the Black Sea ports.

On Monday, however, President Putin said the woody was being suspended, citing the "massive" drone onslaught connected its fleet successful Crimea that helium alleged Kyiv was liable for.

He said maritime information indispensable beryllium ensured and that implementing atom exports nether specified conditions were excessively risky.

"Ukraine indispensable warrant that determination volition beryllium nary threats to civilian vessels," Mr Putin said successful a televised address.

Kyiv has not admitted work for the attack, saying Moscow had agelong planned to abandoned the internationally-brokered woody and utilized the onslaught arsenic a pretext to bash so.

"In conditions erstwhile Russia is talking astir the impossibility of guaranteeing the information of shipping successful these areas, specified a woody is hardly feasible, and it takes connected a antithetic quality - overmuch much risky, unsafe and unguaranteed," the Ukrainian president's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

Russia's withdrawal from the woody has been condemned by the US, who said Moscow was "weaponising food".

The EU's overseas argumentation chief, Josep Borrell, has urged Russia to reverse its decision, saying jeopardising the export of atom and fertilisers would interaction the planetary nutrient crisis.

The Russian ambassador to the US has rejected accusations that his state was exacerbating a planetary nutrient crisis, saying it was unfair to criticise Russia.

The suspension comes arsenic Russia says it has expanded its evacuations of the occupied Kherson region, contempt stating implicit the play that these had travel to an end.

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