The head of USAid has leveled an accusation against Vladimir Putin, stating that his decision to withdraw from a UN-brokered agreement allowing Ukraine to export grain through the Black Sea has severe consequences for millions of the world’s poorest people.
Samantha Power, speaking from the influential trading port of Odesa near several large grain silos, pledged an additional $250 million to establish and expand alternative routes for Ukrainian grain exports. However, she acknowledged that the loss of the Black Sea ports would be irreplaceable.
Power’s visit followed a series of missile and drone strikes conducted by Russia on southern and eastern Ukraine overnight. While most of the missiles were intercepted, some infrastructure in the Odesa port suffered damage from falling debris.
Russia had promised to retaliate following an explosion on a bridge connecting Russia to the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow accused Ukraine of attacking. The Kerch Bridge is used to transport military supplies to Crimea, which was seized and annexed by Russia in 2014.
“Russia began blocking ships from entering this port in recent weeks, and yesterday Putin recklessly and dangerously decided to withdraw Russian participation from the Black Sea grain initiative,” Power stated. “Putin has chosen to sever a vital lifeline to the rest of the world, and Russian forces fired drones and cruise missiles overnight and this morning in close proximity to where we are standing right now.”
She criticized Putin’s justification for the withdrawal, describing it as filled with falsehoods and lies, and emphasized the enormous impact this decision would have on the least developed countries, including Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sudan, and Somalia.
Power called upon other governments, philanthropists, and the private sector to match the US contribution by raising an additional $250 million.
Accompanying Power, Ukrainian Minister for Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov expressed optimism about brokering an agreement with Turkey and the UN that would enable the continuation of grain shipments.
The mayor of Odesa, Gennadiy Trukhanov, commented on the city’s limited port activity, stating that even during the active period of the grain deal, the port was operating at only 15% of its pre-war capacity. He noted that most of the 4,000 port employees had lost their jobs since the conflict began.
Trukhanov regarded the missile strikes as a blunt message from Russia to ensure that no further ships would depart from the port. He doubted any captain would risk docking there without guarantees, saying, “I can’t imagine there’s any captain who would risk missile strikes and dock here with no guarantees.” The Kremlin stated that the strikes were a response to Monday’s bridge attack.
Ukraine’s air force reported shooting down six Kalibr missiles and 31 out of 36 drones. Odesa has frequently faced attacks since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Ukraine’s presidential staff head, Andriy Yermak, referred to the recent strikes as further evidence that Russia, a “country-terrorist,” wants to endanger the lives of 400 million people in countries reliant on Ukrainian food exports.
Russia claimed it thwarted a Ukrainian drone strike on Crimea with no significant ground damage and reopened a single lane of traffic on the Kerch Bridge.
Ukraine’s foreign minister indicated that Kyiv was willing to grant Turkey time to explore negotiations for Russia’s reentry into the Black Sea grain deal. However, he stressed the need to find a solution within days to continue exporting Ukrainian grain to global markets.
Dymytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister, described Russia’s warning that Ukrainian ships would not be protected as a clear threat that Russia does not guarantee the safety of any ship carrying Ukrainian cereals from Ukrainian ports to the Bosphorus. Kuleba believed that as long as Russia remained in Crimea and believed it could blackmail and impose its will, the problems would persist. He stated that defeating Russia and forcing its withdrawal was the most effective solution to the problem.
He added, “If Turkey wants to engage in further discussions with Russia regarding Russia’s commitment to the deal it signed with Turkey, we are open to that.”
Russia’s foreign ministry stated that Moscow’s termination of the deal entailed the withdrawal of navigation safety guarantees, reduction of the maritime humanitarian corridor, and the restoration of a temporarily dangerous area in the northwestern Black Sea. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, noted that without appropriate security guarantees, certain risks arise. If a new arrangement allowing exports were formalized without Russia, these risks would need to be considered.
The Russian government announced that it would send its food to the poorest countries in Africa for free.
In previous instances when the grain deal was on the verge of collapsing, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan persuaded Putin to step back by threatening to dispatch the Turkish navy to escort grain ships out of Ukrainian ports. However, positions may now be more entrenched.
With Poland maintaining an embargo on Ukrainian grain to protect its own farmers, it becomes even more crucial for Ukrainian grain to utilize sea routes.
Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni offered one of the strongest responses to the end of the deal, stating, “Russia’s decision to terminate the grain deal reveals who is a friend and who is an enemy of the poorest states. Leaders of nations who fail to distinguish between the attacked and the aggressor should reflect. Using hunger as a weapon is another crime against humanity.”
Andrew Mitchell, the UK’s Africa and Development Minister, stated, “We should make it clear that the impact of what Russia is doing is directly leading to people starving in Africa.”
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