Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky slammed Russia after a missile attack on the port of Odesa, which followed a breakthrough agreement to resume Ukrainian grain exports to ease the world food crisis.
Subsequently, the missile attack has raised questions about Russia's commitment to the deal. The leader of Ukraine swore to do all in his power to obtain air defense systems that might later shoot down such missiles.
In the agreement signed on Friday, Russia pledged not to attack ports while grain shipments were in motion.
However, according to the southern command center of the Ukrainian military, two Kalibr missiles struck Odesa port a few hours after the deal was signed, per BBC. Air defense systems also intercepted two other missiles.
Russia Denies Missile Attack After Drawing Condemnation
The command center reported that the strike did not significantly damage the port. However, the attack has received strong condemnation. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken charged Russia with escalating the world food crisis and said the attack raised "serious doubt" about Russia's adherence to the agreement.
On Saturday, Zelensky said: "Russia must stop its aggression and fully implement the grain deal to which it has agreed."
Although Moscow has not yet released a statement regarding the attack, the Turkish government, which mediated the agreement, claimed that Russian officials had denied involvement.
According to Mykola Solyski, Ukraine's agriculture minister, the attack on the Odesa port was a grave matter. In a phone interview with The New York Times, the official noted that an attack on a port impacts everything. "You use a lot of the same infrastructure for oil, for grain," he said.
A UN official said Russia may not have officially broken the grain agreement because it did not promise to refrain from striking the areas of the Ukrainian ports that are not specifically used for grain exports. Russia could have been attempting to exploit a weakness, a tactic that has become more often throughout the war if there were adjacent military objectives.
According to Solskyi, the strikes would still impact Ukraine's attempts to export grain, and some of the destroyed infrastructures were essential for managing all imports.
UN Push the Restart of Grain Exports From Ukraine
In a significant diplomatic achievement intended to ease a worldwide food crisis brought on by the conflict, Ukraine and Russia have reached an agreement allowing the restart of essential grain exports from Ukrainian Black Sea ports, according to a CNN report.
In Istanbul, ministers from both nations signed a deal mediated by the UN and Turkey.
The agreement came about after months of negotiations and commitments to open Black Sea ports so grain and oilseed, two of Ukraine's most significant exports, could pass without incident.
Millions of tons of Ukrainian grain have not been exported to the numerous countries that depend on it thus far because Russia has been obstructing maritime access to those ports.
According to the UN agreement, the deal would help stabilize global food prices, which were already at record levels even before the war, and provide relief for developing nations.
As a result of the conflict in Ukraine, the World Food Programme estimates that 47 million people are now experiencing acute hunger, and Western authorities have accused Russia of using food as a weapon during its invasion of Ukraine.
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