Situation in the morning: Freighters should continue to deliver grain

Kyiv, Istanbul Grain exports from Ukraine via the Black Sea are said to continue, although Russia has canceled safe passage for the freighters. The delegations of the United Nations, Turkey and Ukraine have agreed on this, as the coordination center in Istanbul announced on Monday night.

The Russian delegation in the center was informed of the result. On Monday, twelve ships are to sail through the defined sea corridor from Ukraine towards Istanbul, four ships are sailing in the opposite direction. It is unclear how Russia will react to this continued shipping traffic.

The controls on the freighters previously carried out jointly by all four parties in Istanbul are also to continue. For Monday, the UN and Turkey are to provide ten teams to handle 40 waiting ships. The Ukrainians have agreed, the Russians have been informed, the United Nations said.

“Ukraine will do everything on its part to ensure that the grain export initiative continues to work,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in his video address on Sunday. Russia spoke on Sunday of alleged evidence that Ukraine misused the humanitarian sea corridor for the drone attack on the Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol the day before.

Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said there was no talk of a return to the grain agreement until this was fully clarified. Moscow also wants to bring this attack before the UN Security Council in New York on Monday, the 250th day of the war.

Russia’s involvement in the control center is suspended, but not entirely

At the meeting of the four delegations in the coordination center, the Russian side announced that it would suspend cooperation indefinitely, the UN statement said. However, she wanted to continue the dialogue with the UN and Turkey on “urgent issues”. The Russian representatives also wanted to be involved on the sidelines if the grain initiative had to make quick decisions overall.

The initiative, brokered by Turkey and the UN, was agreed in July and ended months of a blockade on Ukraine’s grain exports as a result of Russia’s war of aggression. According to Turkish information, 9.3 million tons of grain have been shipped since then. It has been agreed that the ships and their cargo will be inspected each time they pass through the Turkish Bosphorus Straits.

The agreement was originally valid until November 19th. However, if neither side had objected, it would have been automatically extended. Moscow has recently repeatedly criticized the agreement because it sees its own grain and fertilizer exports slowed down as a result of the sanctions imposed by the West.

Attack on Sevastopol hits Russia

The home port of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol on the annexed peninsula of Crimea was attacked by flying and floating drones on Saturday. Moscow speaks of an act of terrorism and claims that the remote-controlled combat boats moved under the protection of the sea corridor for grain exports. At least one drone was launched at sea from a grain ship. Evidence was not given in a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry on Sunday.

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Only sick people could say something like that, said the Ukrainian head of state Zelensky in his video speech. “But these sick people are once again bringing the world to the brink of a serious food crisis.” For Russia’s war effort against Ukraine, the attack means that the Black Sea Fleet, the heart of Crimea’s military power, is not secure.

Ukrainian president consults with his military

On Sunday, Zelensky again discussed the continuation of the defense against Russia with the heads of the armed forces and other security agencies. It was also about the enemy’s possible plans for the coming period, he said, without giving details.

However, such high command meetings have often been followed by offensives by the Ukrainian armed forces. “We are working daily to expedite the restoration of our state’s territorial integrity,” he said.

That will be important on Monday

The Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, which has been going on for more than eight months, also characterizes the visit of Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock to the Central Asian states of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The Green politician will initially hold talks in the Kazakh capital of Astana on Monday. Kazakhstan is a major supplier of energy and raw materials.

Baerbock said that Russia’s war poses the question to all successor states of the Soviet Union as to whether their statehood could also be called into question. In order to take advantage of the opportunities for cooperation, “we must finally make progress in better connecting Central Asia with Europe”.

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