Grains deal expires – The night at a glance

Kyiv Almost a year after it came into force, the agreement on shipping Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea expires this Monday. The grain agreement, which was painstakingly negotiated with the help of Turkey and the United Nations, ends at 11:00 p.m. CEST if an agreement is not reached.

The Russian President Vladimir Putin had recently brought up a suspension of the agreement, which is also important for the fight against hunger in the world, until Moscow’s demands are met. The agreement has been in effect since July 22, 2022.

For about a year, Russia has been demanding that Western sanctions be eased so that it can export unlimited amounts of its own grain and fertilizer. If the agreement ends, there is a threat of a blockade of the Ukrainian Black Sea ports, as was the case after the beginning of the war in February last year, from which freighters carrying corn and wheat, for example, would then no longer be able to leave.

“We extend the moment the promises made to us are fulfilled,” Putin said last week. Russia is ready to wait as long as necessary. The procedure that has been in place for about a year, that first it would be extended and then the promises would be fulfilled, no longer suits Moscow. The West had a year to implement the conditions, said the Kremlin chief.

Thanks to the agreement, Ukraine – one of the world’s most important grain exporters before the war – was able to ship 33 million tons in the past twelve months. On Sunday, one of the last ships may have set off from the port of Odessa, the freighter “TQ Samsun”. According to the UN, it is loaded with more than 15,000 tons of rapeseed.

During a phone call over the weekend, Putin also pointed out to South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa that there was no basis for extending the agreement. During the talks initiated by Ramaphosa, Putin also said that the main goal of the agreement, to supply needy countries on the African continent, for example, had not been implemented, the Kremlin said.

In particular, Moscow complains that punitive measures against the Russian state agricultural bank mean that the export of its own grain and fertilizer cannot be processed on the desired scale. There are also problems with insuring the freight.

The blockade of grain exports was only ended by the agreement on July 22, 2022. The agreement ended a month-long Russian naval blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea ports. The United Nations urged all parties to extend the agreement to ensure global food security.

“Emergency” on the bridge from Russia to occupied Crimea

Roughly nine months after the heavy explosion on the Kerch Bridge between Russia and the Moscow-occupied Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, an “emergency” occurred there, according to Russian sources. Traffic was therefore stopped in the area of ​​the 145th pillar of the bridge, the head of occupied Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, said on Telegram on Monday, according to the state news agency TASS. He did not provide any information on the nature of the “emergency”.

The approximately 19-kilometer-long Kerch Bridge to Crimea was severely damaged in an explosion in October 2022, but has been repaired. At the end of May, the Ukrainian secret service admitted involvement in the explosion for the first time.

Aksyonov urged residents to remain calm. Residents of the region and tourists should choose an alternative land route through the Russian-occupied regions of southern Ukraine. There are repeated drone attacks by the Ukrainian side on the peninsula. Kiev has announced that it wants to recapture Crimea. Despite the tense security situation and long controls, Russian vacationers are again being drawn in large numbers to Crimea, which vacationers can only reach by train or car, according to media reports from Russia.

Baerbock: Nobody can go unpunished in aggressive war

At the international level, meanwhile, efforts continue to hold Russia accountable for its war of aggression. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is banking on a reform of international law so that perpetrators of a war of aggression, such as Russian President Putin, are held accountable.

“In the 21st century, no one should wage a war of aggression and remain unpunished,” demanded the Green politician on Sunday before a trip to New York. There she wants to take part in a ceremony at the United Nations (UN) to mark the 25th anniversary of the founding of the International Criminal Court (ICC). A speech at the UN Security Council is also planned.

“In the eyes of the perpetrators, the ICC is already a sharp sword,” said Baerbock. In the eyes of the victims, he is the hope that their suffering will not go unpunished. “That’s why a gap in law enforcement is particularly painful,” said the minister. In the case of crimes of aggression against “the most precious asset we have: our peace”, the hurdles for prosecution are still too high. “That’s why we want to work with partners to further develop international law so that it does justice to our realities in the 21st century.”

This is how the Handelsblatt reports on the Ukraine war:

During a visit to the court’s headquarters in The Hague, Netherlands, in January, Baerbock had already proposed changing the legal basis of the court so that the offense of aggressive war could also be prosecuted without restriction. It should be sufficient if the victim state of an aggression falls under the jurisdiction of the court. Currently, only the UN Security Council can refer the case to the court, as neither Russia nor Ukraine are contracting parties. As a permanent member, Russia has a right of veto in the Security Council.

What will be important on Monday

In Ukraine, the counter-offensive to liberate the Russian-held areas in the east and south of the country continues. Mainly because of the mining of the areas and the anti-tank barriers on the Russian defense lines, Kiev has not yet achieved a breakthrough.

More: All developments in the Ukraine war in our news blog