Russia He affirmed on Monday that he rejects the extension of a historic agreement to export Ukrainian grains, hours after naval drones attacked a strategic bridge that connects his territory with the annexed Crimean peninsula.
“The Black Sea agreement has ended de facto today”, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov told reporters.
“As soon as the part [del acuerdo] regarding Russia is satisfied, the country will immediately return to the grain agreement”, he added.
Moscow He has been complaining about the pact for months, sealed in July 2022 with the mediation of Turkey and the United Nations and which has eased fears of a world food crisis.
The deal, which has allowed more than 32 million tons of Ukrainian grain to be exported, also includes lifting barriers to exporting Russian agricultural products and fertilizers.
Russian President Vladimir Putin denounced last week that Moscow’s interests were being ignored.
Moscow’s announcement comes hours after naval drones attacked the bridge linking Russia to the annexed Crimean peninsula, key to transporting supplies to Russian soldiers in Ukraine.
Explosion on the Crimean bridge
“Today’s attack on the Crimean bridge is a special operation by the SBU [los servicios especiales ucranianos] and the Navy”, a source in the Ukrainian security services told AFP.
Russian authorities said a couple was killed in the attack and their daughter was injured.
The Kerch bridge had already been damaged in October 2022, in an attack that Moscow attributed to Ukraine. kyiv had denied being behind the attack.
Local authorities reported that traffic had been disrupted on the bridge and urged tourists to stay in their accommodation.
They also encouraged Russians traveling to and from the peninsula, annexed by Moscow in 2014, to do so through the occupied Ukrainian territories.
Hours after the attack, Russian news agencies reported that the government was refusing to extend the grain deal, whose main beneficiaries have been China, Spain and Turkey.
“Russia today officially notified the Turkish and Ukrainian parties as well as the UN Secretariat of its objection to the extension of the agreement.”, the TASS agency noted, citing the spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maria Zajárova.
“cynical” decision
“The conflict must not be carried out on the backs of the poorest on the planet”, reacted the German government spokeswoman, Christiane Hoffmann.
The British executive, for his part, said the decision was “very disappointing” and that they were going to continue promoting the negotiations.
“If Russia does not renew the agreement, it will deprive millions of people of key access to grain”, said a spokesman for the prime minister, Rishi Sunak.
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, also reacted, condemning a “cynical” decision by Russia.
Since June 27, the participation of new vessels to export grains has not been approved, the Joint Coordination Center (CCC), which oversees the agreement, reported in a statement.
The Turkish bulk carrier “TQ Samsun”, the last cargo ship authorized by the signatories of the agreement, was heading to Istanbul from the Ukrainian port of Odessa, the Marine Traffic website showed late on Sunday.
fierce fighting
On the ground, the Ukrainian counteroffensive launched in June has not stopped.
Deputy Defense Minister Ganna Maliar said Monday that her forces had recaptured 18 km2 of territory in the east, near the city of Bakhmut, in Russian hands since May.
The town, which had 70,000 inhabitants before the war, was totally destroyed during the longest and bloodiest battle since the offensive began in February 2022.
In the Kupiansk area, in the Kharkov region (northeast), Russian forces are advancing.”actively since the end of last weekMaliar said.
kyiv has admitted that its counteroffensive is progressing slowly and is urging the United States and other allies to give it more long-range weapons and artillery.
“People should understand what price we pay to (advance),” A commander on the ground told AFP. “There are many enemies. We need time to reduce them”, he added.
Source: AFP
Source: Gestion
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