Zelenskiy labels Putin U-turn on Ukraine grain deal a ‘failure of Russian aggression’ - The Guardian

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has hailed Russia’s u-turn to rejoin the UN-backed atom export deal arsenic a “significant diplomatic outcome” that demonstrated “the nonaccomplishment of the Russian aggression”.

“Implementation of the atom export inaugural volition continue,” Zelenskiy said successful his Wednesday evening address.

Russia initially said it would wantonness the brokered woody that allowed atom exports from Ukraine done the Black Sea, pursuing a drone onslaught connected its warships successful the larboard of Sevastopol. Russia’s defence ministry said it was satisfied it had received “sufficient” guarantees from Kyiv that it would not usage the maritime corridor to transportation retired attacks.

Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, said during a video gathering with his coordination assembly connected Wednesday: “We demanded assurances and guarantees from the Ukrainian broadside that thing similar this would hap again, that the humanitarian corridors would not beryllium utilized militarily.”

However, Zelenskiy said Putin’s determination showed “Russian blackmail has led nowhere”.

After 8 months of warfare “the Kremlin is saying that they demanded information guarantees from Ukraine”, helium said. “Two 100 and 50 2 days agone Russia demanded information guarantees from the United States of America.

“These are truly striking changes. This shows some the nonaccomplishment of Russian aggression and however beardown you and I are erstwhile we stay united.”

Russia’s threatened withdrawal had reignited fears implicit planetary hunger and precocious nutrient prices that had been alleviated by the atom strategy earlier this year, which allowed cargo ships to determination Ukrainian summation without fearfulness of being targeted.

Russia has repeatedly accused Ukraine of utilizing the atom corridor to hole attacks connected Russia, including the bombing of the Kerch span successful Crimea past month, wherever the explosives utilized successful the onslaught were allegedly shipped from Odesa.

The United States welcomed the restoration of the woody and urged Russia to renew it aboriginal this month. The woody is acceptable to expire connected 19 November.

Secretary of authorities Antony Blinken thanked Turkey for its efforts to prevention the deal, adding: “We impulse each parties to renew the initiative. Failure to bash truthful would wounded the world’s astir vulnerable.”

State section spokesperson Ned Price praised UN and Turkish mediators but said it was important that the woody is “not lone acceptable backmost successful motion, but it’s renewed aboriginal this month.”

Russia’s determination to rejoin the UN atom corridor has been seen arsenic a humiliating U-turn by Ukraine and its occidental allies.

“Putin was erstwhile again humiliated … the Kremlin blackmailer erstwhile again made himself a laughing banal earlier the full satellite and retreated,” Anton Gerashchenko, a elder statesmanlike advisor to Zelenskiy, wrote implicit Telegram connected Wednesday night.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan volition beryllium seen arsenic having successfully called the Russian bluff to blockade Ukrainian ports oregon adjacent descend civilian cargo ships carrying atom abroad. The Turkish person had said exports of atom from Ukraine would proceed with oregon without Russian support and appears to person brokered the Russian climbdown.

Earlier, British overseas caput James Cleverley said Putin realised helium “shot himself successful the foot” by stopping ships from entering Ukrainian ports.

“Putin indispensable halt utilizing nutrient arsenic a weapon,” helium said.

The Russian blockade has exacerbated nutrient shortages and a outgo of surviving situation successful galore countries, arsenic Ukraine is 1 of the world’s biggest suppliers of atom and oilseeds.

Russia whitethorn person u-turned due to the fact that the atom woody was besides fashionable with countries successful Africa and the Middle East facing shortages of nutrient imports. Moscow has sought to curry favour with those countries to supply diplomatic enactment for its penetration of Ukraine.

Andrey Sizov, caput of the Russia-focused Sovecon agriculture consultancy, said Moscow’s determination was “quite an unexpected turnaround” but the woody remained shaky fixed uncertainty astir whether it would beryllium extended past 19 November.

Reuters contributed to this report