Agencies-Gaza post
Did grain deal work?
President Zelensky described the attack as blatant “barbarism” that showed how Moscow could not be trusted to stick to the deal.
He pledged to do his chief to obtain air defense systems capable of shooting down such missiles in the future.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken accused Russia of exacerbating the global food crisis, and said the attack cast “doubt” on the credibility of Russia’s adherence to the agreement.
“Russia must stop its aggression and fully implement the grain deal it agreed to,” he said on Saturday.
The Turkish government, which brokered the deal, said Russian officials denied responsibility.
“During our contacts with Russia, the Russians have told us that they have absolutely nothing to do with this attack and that they are studying the issue closely and in detail,” Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said.
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In another development, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Ukraine could not beat Russia.
He said at an international conference of conservatives that the war can only end with peace talks between Washington and Moscow.
“There is a need for a new strategy that focuses on peace negotiations rather than trying to win the war,” said Orban, whose views on the conflict often conflict with those of other EU leaders.
Officials from Kyiv and Moscow signed a deal on Friday to allow the export of millions of tons of grain blockaded in Ukraine.
The United Nations hailed the deal as a “beacon of hope” after months of fighting.
The agreement – which took two months to reach – is set to last 120 days, with a coordination and monitoring center established in Istanbul, staffed by UN, Turkish, Russian and Ukrainian officials. It can be renewed if both parties agree.
Josep Borrell, the European Union’s foreign affairs chief, said the attack on Odessa showed Russia’s “total disregard” for international law.
“Hitting a critical grain export target a day after the signing of the Istanbul Accords is particularly reprehensible,” he wrote on Twitter, adding that the EU “strongly condemns” the attack.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres categorically sentenced the attack, saying that the doing of the grain agreement is imperative.
The BBC’s Paul Adams in Kyiv says it is tempting to see the attack on Odessa as an attempt to spoil the grain deal.
But our correspondent says that this seems to contradict the statements of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu that Russia’s responsibilities are clearly defined.
In the latest fighting on the ground, British defense officials said Russian forces in the Kherson region risk having their supply lines cut by Ukrainian forces.
Ukrainian forces used long-range missile systems provided by the United States to target the Antonovsky Bridge in Kherson.
If the bridge is destroyed, Russia’s supply lines will stretch hard.
