Russia denies attack on Odessa port

TURKEY, RUSSIA, UKRAINE: The United Nations expects a deal to resume Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea to be fully operational in a few weeks and restore shipments to pre-war levels of 5 million tonnes a month, two senior U.N. officials said on Friday.

Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations signed the deal in Istanbul in what Turkey has said will mark the first step toward easing an international food crisis exacerbated by Moscow’s invasion of its neighbour.

Russia and Ukraine are among the world’s top food exporters and Moscow’s Feb. 24 invasion has blockaded Ukrainian ports, stranding dozens of ships, leaving 20 million tonnes of grain stuck in silos and driving up world grain prices.

Meanwhile, Moscow has denied carrying out any attack on the Ukrainian port of Odessa, the Turkish defence minister said Saturday, a day after Moscow and Kyiv penned a deal to resume grain exports.

“The Russians told us that they had absolutely nothing to do with this attack and they were looking into the issue very closely,” Hulusi Akar said, but Russia has yet to officially comment.

Russia and Ukraine signed agreements in Istanbul on Friday brokered by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and UN chief Antonio Guterres. Up to 25 million tonnes of wheat and other grain have been blocked in Ukrainian ports by Russian warships and landmines Kyiv has laid to avert a feared amphibious assault.

– THE STATESMAN