Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting of the supervisory board of the presidential forum “Russia – Land of Opportunity” at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia April 20, 2022.
Mikhail Tereshchenko | Sputnik | via Reuters
WASHINGTON – World leaders quickly condemned Russian missile hits Ukrainian porta dramatic revelation amid a United Nations-brokered agreement to secure a maritime corridor for grain and other food exports.
A day earlier, representatives of the United Nations, Turkey, Russia and Ukraine had signed an agreement to reopen three Ukrainian ports, an apparent breakthrough as the Kremlin’s war with its former Soviet neighbor entered a stalemate. fifth month.
Agree, signed in Istanbul and will be deployed in the next few weeksafter a months-long blockade of dozens of Ukrainian ports located along the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea.
The attack on Odesa, Ukraine’s largest port, represents another worrying turn in fruitless efforts to mitigate the growing global food crisis.
The joint image shows a fire engine at the scene of a burning building after a shelling, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues at a site believed to be Odesa, Ukraine in this photo taken Captured from social media released on July 19, 2022.
Ukraine’s emergency services | Via Reuters
An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Russia “predictably worthless” after the attack.
Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on Twitter: “The ink has not yet dried before two vile provocations: the attack on a seaport in Odesa and the statement by the Russian Defense Ministry that Ukrainian ports are “dangerous for navigation”. .
Zelenskyy told a delegation of US lawmakers visiting Ukraine: “Not even 24 hours have passed before these ports, the territory of Odesa and the port are attacked.
Among those who visited Zelenskyy, Representative Adam Smith (D-Wash.) said Russian President Vladimir Putin “violated the spirit of that agreement with more missile strikes.”
“He simply cannot be trusted,” wrote Smith, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee in a statement.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US strongly condemned the Russian missile attack and held that Russia was responsible for deepening the world food crisis.
The attack “undermines the work of the UN, Turkey and Ukraine in providing vital food to world markets,” Blinken said in a statement.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “unequivocally” condemned the missile attack on the port.
“Full implementation [of the deal] of the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Turkey is mandatory”, wrote the head of the UN.
Bridget Brink, President Joe Biden’s Ambassador to Ukraine, called on the global community to be accountable to Russia.
“The Kremlin continues to weaponize food. Russia must be held accountable,” Brink wrote on Twitter.
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called the Russian missile attack on Odesa “reprehensible”.
Borrell wrote on Twitter: “The achievement of a key grain export target one day after the signing of the Istanbul agreements is particularly reprehensible.
Famous Spanish chef and restaurateur Jose Andres, who brought his humanitarian organization to Ukraine to defuse a food crisis caused by Russia’s war, also launched a missile attack on Odesa. .
“Why are you attacking grain that needs to be exported? Why? Please stop and let’s feed the world,” said two-Michelin-starred chef and founder of World Central Kitchen, a food sourcing group. feed vulnerable communities, writes.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said the missile strikes were “all you need to know about deals with Russia.”
“Today, Russian missile hit the port of Odesa. That’s all you need to know about dealings with Russia. The world must help Ukraine against the aggressor,” she wrote.
– Reuters contributed to this report.
