Despite Moscow's withdrawal from the export agreement

Ukraine's ports continue to transport grain, and Russia sees it as a "dangerous matter"

The resumption of food exports from Ukrainian ports indicates the avoidance of one of the scenarios of global concern.

Reuters

Twelve ships loaded with grain left Ukrainian ports yesterday, despite Russia ditching a UN-backed agreement to ensure the flow of exports from the conflict zone.

Sirens sounded across Ukraine, explosions rocked Kyiv, and as Russia launched new air strikes, missiles rained down on Ukrainian regions.

Ukrainian officials said the energy infrastructure was damaged, cutting off electricity and water supplies in several regions.

But the resumption of food exports from Ukrainian ports indicates that one of the scenarios of global concern has been avoided, at least for the time being.

International officials had feared that Moscow would re-impose a blockade of Ukrainian grain, after Russia announced on Saturday its withdrawal from the United Nations-backed program that guarantees the safety of cargo ships across the Black Sea.

On the other hand, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said yesterday that since Russia cannot guarantee safe navigation in the region, it will be "difficult to implement" the international agreement on grain exports.

Peskov added that the grain initiative, which aims to ensure the continuation of grain exports from Ukraine during the war, "will take a different chapter, more dangerous and without guarantees" without Russia's participation.

The UN program coordinator, Amir Abdullah, said on Twitter: “Civilian cargo ships can never be a military target or held hostage.

The flow of food must continue.”

Soon after, Ukraine confirmed that 12 ships had sailed from its ports.

The ships carried a total of 354,500 tons of grain, much more than usual in one day, indicating that the backlog of shipments was loaded after Sunday's export halt.

Ukraine and Russia are the world's largest food exporters.

Over the course of three months, the UN-backed agreement ensured market access for Ukrainian exports, preventing what officials around the world have described as a possible global famine.

News of Moscow's withdrawal from the agreement pushed global wheat prices to rise by more than 5% yesterday morning.

Moscow said it was forced to withdraw from the shipping agreement, after it blamed Kyiv for bombings that damaged Russian navy ships in a Crimean port on Saturday.

Ukraine has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the bombings, but says that the Russian navy's ships are a legitimate military target.

Moscow said the explosions were the result of an attack by a fleet of drones and submarines.

The United States accused Russia of using food as a weapon, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow was "blackmailing the world with hunger."

Russia denied the accusations, but said that with its navy damaged, it was no longer able to guarantee the safety of navigation.

Among the ships that sailed yesterday was a ship chartered by the World Food Program of the United Nations, to transport 40,000 tons of grain to drought-stricken Africa.

"Even if Russia behaves with reluctance, because it did not get the same benefits, we will continue our efforts decisively to serve humanity," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who helped broker the grain deal, said in a speech.

"Our efforts are clear to get this wheat to countries at risk of starvation," he added.

Through the joint mechanism that we established in Istanbul, we have contributed to alleviating the global food crisis.”

The Russian missile strikes during rush hour yesterday morning repeated the same tactic that Moscow used this month, targeting Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, especially power stations.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmyal said 18 targets, mostly energy infrastructure targets, were hit by missile and drone strikes on 10 Ukrainian regions.

"Another volley of Russian missiles is hitting Ukraine's vital infrastructure," Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said.

Instead of fighting on the battlefield, Russia is fighting civilians.”

"Do not justify these attacks by calling them (merely) a retaliation, Russia does it because it still has missiles and wants to kill the Ukrainians," he added.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said the missiles had cut off electricity and water.

“Russia is not interested in peace talks, nor in global food security.

Putin's only goal is death and destruction."

"Like millions of Ukrainians, our team at the U.S. Embassy in Kiev is once again taking refuge in bunkers, while Russia continues its brutal and barbaric missile strikes on the people of Ukraine in an attempt to (swamp) the country in cold and darkness, as Russia approaches winter season".

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