The Russian President has canceled the grain deal with Ukraine.
(Photo: IMAGO/ITAR-TASS)
Moscow, Kyiv A few days after Moscow halted the grain deal, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia was ready to replace Ukrainian grain supplies. “I want to assure that our country is able to replace Ukrainian grain on both a commercial and a gratuitous basis, especially as we expect another bumper harvest this year,” Putin wrote in an article published on the Kremlin’s website on Monday night for African media on the occasion of an upcoming Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, starting Thursday.
Despite the sanctions imposed by the West, Russia will continue to work “vigorously” to supply African countries with grain, food, fertilizers and more, it said. In 2022, Russia exported 11.5 million tons of grain to Africa, almost 10 million tons in the first six months of this year. “And this despite the sanctions imposed on our exports, which actually make it significantly more difficult to export Russian food to developing countries,” Putin continued.
Regarding the grain agreement blocked by Moscow, which allowed Ukrainian grain to be exported across the Black Sea for around a year, Putin wrote that the export corridor had lost its humanitarian significance. Of the almost 33 million tons of grain exported under the agreement, the majority went to countries with high and upper middle income levels.
In fact, the grain deal was “shamelessly used exclusively to enrich large American and European companies that exported and resold grain from Ukraine,” Putin claimed.
Russia, which has been waging a war of aggression against the neighboring country since February 2022, allowed the international grain agreement to expire a week ago despite many international appeals. The United Nations has repeatedly campaigned for the agreement to be reinstated, and China has also called on both sides to resume exports quickly. It is feared that famines in poorer countries will otherwise become even greater.
Heavy fighting in eastern Ukraine
According to the general staff, the Ukrainian army encountered heavy Russian resistance in the east of the country during its counteroffensive. The General Staff’s evening situation report on Sunday spoke of ongoing Russian attacks between Donetsk in the east and Kupyansk in the northeastern region of Kharkiv.
According to this, 27 battles took place over the past 24 hours along a front length of around 230 kilometers. The Russian side used more artillery and air force, it said. More than 60 towns in the front section are said to have come under Russian rocket and artillery fire. The information could not be independently verified.
Russia has been waging a war of aggression against its neighbor for 17 months. A Ukrainian counter-offensive to recapture occupied areas has been underway for several weeks, but is not progressing as quickly as many had hoped.
Russia reports drone attack on Moscow – no injuries
According to Russian information, Moscow was attacked by two drones on Monday night. No one was injured and there was no major damage, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said, according to the state news agency TASS. The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukraine’s attempt to carry out a terrorist attack in Moscow using two drones had been foiled.
A drone was spotted in the center of the capital, and another hit an office building in the south of the city, said an emergency services employee. An explosion was heard. Sobyanin spoke of two buildings that had been hit.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, drones had already been shot down over the Moscow area in early July. At the time, the Ministry of Defense blamed Ukraine for the drone strikes. Attacks have also been increasing in Russia for weeks – mostly in the immediate border region with Ukraine.
After the attack on Odessa: Selenski thanks rescuers and supporters
After the recent Russian attack on the port city of Odessa, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his gratitude to his own people and international allies. “Thank you to everyone who is in Odessa,” he wrote on Telegram on Sunday evening, praising the efforts of the volunteer rescuers, doctors and local authorities.
According to the authorities, at least one person was killed and 22 others injured in the attack on the Ukrainian city on the Black Sea on Sunday night. The Old Town, which is listed as a World Heritage Site, and the Orthodox Transfiguration Cathedral also became targets of the Russian shelling.
The Orthodox Transfiguration Cathedral was damaged in attacks on Odessa.
(Photo: dpa)
The attack sparked numerous international reactions. The EU condemned him as another Russian war crime. Pope Francis included Odessa in his prayers for peace. Moldovan President Maia Sandu tweeted that it was heartbreaking to watch the scenes of destruction in Odessa. Representatives of the USA, Great Britain, Italy and France also expressed their sympathy in view of the destruction. On Telegram, President Zelensky expressly thanked everyone who had condemned the Russian crimes.
On Sunday evening, Selenski also found words of praise for NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the quick reaction of the new NATO-Ukraine Council. The NATO-Ukraine Council established at the NATO summit in Vilnius is intended to improve cooperation between the defense alliance and Ukraine. At the request of the Ukraine, Stoltenberg convened the first council meeting for Wednesday.
This is how the Handelsblatt reports on the Ukraine war:
What will be important on Monday
Putin wants to continue the meeting with the allied Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko on Monday.
More: All developments in the Ukraine war in our news blog