KYIV/MYKOLAIV, Ukraine, Nov 2 (Reuters) – Long-term protection is needed for Ukraine’s grain transport route and the world must respond strongly to Russia’s attempts to disrupt it, President Volodymyr said. Zelenskiy, as many ships are loaded even from Moscow. suspending his participation in any UN-organized activity.
Russia, which attacked Ukraine on February 24, withdrew from the agreement at the end of the week, saying that it could not guarantee the safety of civilian ships due to the attack of his Black Sea fleet.
In a video message late on Friday night, Zelenskiy said that ships are moving from Ukrainian ports with cargo due to the action of Turkey and the United Nations, the two main traders of grain export contract on July 22.
“But real and long-term protection is needed for the grain route,” Zelenskiy said.
“Russia needs to be sure that it will receive a tough response from the world on ways to disrupt our food supply,” Zelenskiy said. “At stake here are the lives of tens of millions of people.”
Eight ships with agricultural products are expected to pass through the route on Thursday, Ukrainian Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov said on Twitter.
One of the global consequences of Russia’s war with its neighbor is food shortages and cost of living problems in many countries.
The corn operation was intended to prevent famine by injecting more corn, sunflower oil and fertilizer into world markets and easing the sharp rise in prices. The target was the pre-war level of 5 million metric dollars exported from Ukraine per month.
The UN coordinator for grain and fertilizer shipments under the agreement said on Twitter on Tuesday that he expects the cargo ships to leave Ukrainian ports on Thursday.
Defense Minister Hulusi Akar also stated that progress has been made and hopes that the process will continue.
“We are reviewing the available information and this agreement will continue,” Akar said in a statement after two phone calls in as many days with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu. The response from Russia was expected “today and tomorrow”, he said.
More than 9.5 million tons of corn, wheat, sunflower seeds, barley, rapeseed and soy have been exported under the agreement. A Joint Coordination Center (JCC) with headquarters in Istanbul – the UN, Turkish, Russian and Ukrainian officials – approves the movement of ships and inspects traffic.
AUTHORITY MAN
Russia fired missiles at major Ukrainian cities including the capital Kyiv in a statement by President Vladimir Putin that said the attack on a Russian Black Sea ship would cost the week. Ukraine said it shot down most of those missiles, but some hit power stations, knocking out electricity and water.
Nine regions are affected by power cuts to stabilize the grid, and “electricians and local authorities are working to shorten the power cuts,” Zelenskiy said at night. of Sunday.
The United States on Tuesday condemned the attacks, saying about 100 missiles were fired on Monday and Tuesday.
“Because of the temperature drop, these Russian attacks aimed at causing human suffering are very dangerous,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters in a statement on every day. Russia denies targeting civilians.
KHERSON EVACUATIONS
Russia told people on Tuesday to leave an area east of the Dnipro River in the Ukrainian province of Kherson, a major extension of an evacuation order that Kyiv says is aimed at reducing occupied land.
Russia has ordered a civilian front in the pocket it controls on the west bank of the river, where Ukrainian forces have been advancing for weeks to capture the city of Kherson in in that it will be a strategic asset for war.
Russian officials said Tuesday they were extending that order to a 15-km (9-mile) buffer zone along the eastern border. Ukraine says the refugees are deportations from occupied territories, a war crime.
The mouth of the Dnipro was one of the front lines of the war.
Seven towns on the eastern side of the border will be evacuated, including the main towns on the other side of the river, Vladimir Saldo, head of the Russian-occupied Kherson province, said in in a video message.
Russian authorities in the Kherson region also announced that the evacuation of the Kakhovka region, near the Nova Kakhovka power station, should begin on November 6.
Moscow has accused Kyiv of planning to use “dirty bombs” to spread radiation or blow up a dam to flood cities and villages in Kherson province. Kyiv says the accusations that it will use the measures on its own territory are absurd, but Russia may be planning these actions against Ukraine.
Reuters bureaux reports; Written by Peter Graff, Gareth Jones and Grant McCool; Edited by Nick Macfie and Mark Heinrich
Our Standards: Thomson Reuters’ Guardian Principles.
