Finance
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of “barbarism” in response to a missile attack on the Odesa port, which occurred just hours after Kiev and Moscow signed a landmark grain export agreement.
According to the BBC, Russia agreed Friday in Istanbul not to target Ukrainian ports while grain shipments were in transit.
According to the Ukrainian military’s southern command center, two Kalibr missiles hit the Odesa port just hours after the agreement was signed.
According to the center, two more missiles were shot down by air defense systems.
Russian officials, on the other hand, have stated that Moscow had “nothing to do” with the attack.
During a meeting with a visiting delegation of US Congressmen on Saturday in Kiev, Zelensky stated that Russia will find ways not to fulfil what it signs, reports Ukrayinska Pravda.
“This (attack) proves only one thing: no matter what Russia says and promises, it will find ways not to implement it. Geopolitically, with weapons, bloodily or not, but it has several vectors, as it always acts,” he said.
He also vowed to do everything possible in the future to acquire air defense systems capable of shooting down such missiles.
The attack has received widespread condemnation.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Russia of exacerbating the global food crisis, saying the attack cast “serious doubt” on Russia’s commitment to the pact.
“Russia must stop its aggression and fully implement the grain deal to which it has agreed,” he said on Saturday.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has urged the United Nations and Turkey to ensure that Russia fulfills its obligations under the terms of the grain corridor’s safe operation.
According to the BBC, officials from Kiev and Moscow signed an agreement on Friday that will allow millions of tonnes of grain trapped in Ukraine to be exported.
After months of fighting, the UN hailed the agreement as a “beacon of hope.”
The agreement, which took two months to reach, will last 120 days, with a co-ordination and monitoring center in Istanbul staffed by UN, Turkish, Russian, and Ukrainian officials.
If both parties agree, it can be renewed.
Source:OCN
