KYIV: On Saturday, Russian missiles struck the Ukrainian port of Odessa, which Kyiv described as a “spit in the face” to a day-old agreement between the warring parties to resume cereal exports that had been halted by the fighting and was brokered by the president of Turkey and the head of the UN.
Moscow has reportedly denied carrying out any strike on the Ukrainian port of Odessa, according to Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar.
A day after Russia and Ukraine inked accords in Istanbul, Mr. Akar claimed, “The Russians told us that they had absolutely nothing to do with this incident and that they were looking into the subject very seriously.”Two more cruise missiles hit the port despite the Ukrainian military’s claims that it had shot down two of them, endangering the historic accord reached after months of discussions to address the world’s food crisis.
The strike, according to the spokesman for the Ukrainian foreign ministry, was “a spit in the face” by Russian President Vladimir Putin of the agreement mediated by the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the head of the UN Antonio Guterres.
According to his deputy spokesperson, Guterres, who presided over the signing ceremony on Friday, “unequivocally” condemned the alleged attack on Odessa and encouraged all parties to uphold the agreement to allow grain exports. To address the worldwide food crisis and alleviate the suffering of millions of people in need around the world, these products are urgently needed.
