The first boat carrying Ukrainian grain to be allowed to leave port since the start of the war left Odessa on Monday bound for Lebanon under a safe transit deal brokered by Turkey and the United Nations. The Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul, which brings together personnel from Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the UN, said two ships would depart from Chornomorsk and one from Odesa on Friday. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register “The three outbound ships are estimated to depart in the morning from their respective ports,” he said. From Chornomorsk, Polarnet would depart for Karasu in Turkey with 12,000 tonnes of corn and Rojen would carry 13,041 tonnes of corn to Teesport in Britain. From Odessa, Navistar would transport 33,000 tonnes of corn to Ringaskiddy in Ireland. The Liberian-flagged Turkish bulk carrier Osprey S was expected to arrive at the Ukrainian port of Chornomorsk on Friday, the Odesa regional administration said. It would be the first ship to arrive at a Ukrainian port during the war. As of Thursday afternoon, the Osprey S was moored in the Sea of Marmara, about 1 km (0.62 miles) off the Asian shores of Istanbul, along with other ships waiting to cross the Bosphorus into the Black Sea, according to a reporter from Reuters. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine on February 24, sparking Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II and triggering a global energy and food crisis. Ukraine and Russia produce about a third of the world’s wheat, and Russia is Europe’s main energy supplier. Ukraine has asked for the grain deal to be expanded to include other products, such as metals, the Financial Times reported. “This agreement is about logistics, the movement of ships through the Black Sea,” Ukrainian Deputy Economy Minister Taras Katchka told the newspaper. “What is the difference between grain and iron ore?” EAST “HELL” After five months of fighting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy this week described the pressure his armed forces were under in the eastern Donbass region as “hell”. Moscow is seeking to control the largely Russian-speaking Donbas, made up of Luhansk and Donetsk provinces, where pro-Moscow separatists gained control of the territory after the Kremlin annexed Crimea in the south in 2014. Zelensky spoke of fierce fighting around the town of Avdiivka and the fortified village of Pisky, where Ukraine has acknowledged “partial success” of its Russian enemy in recent days. The Ukrainian military said on Thursday Russian forces had launched at least two attacks in Pisky, but were repulsed. Ukraine has spent the past eight years fortifying defensive positions in Pisky, viewing it as a buffer zone against Russian-backed forces that control the city of Donetsk about 10 kilometers to the southeast. Ukrainian general Oleksiy Hromov told a news conference that his forces had recaptured two villages around the eastern town of Sloviansk, but were pushed back to the town of Avdiivka after being forced to abandon a coal mine considered an important defensive position. The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed its attack. Reuters could not immediately verify either side’s claims. The war in Ukraine has displaced millions, killed thousands of civilians and left cities, towns and villages in ruins. Ukraine and its Western allies have accused Russian forces of targeting civilians and committing war crimes, charges Russia denies. On Friday, Ukraine’s General Staff said Russian shelling of several cities across the country was again targeting civilian settlements as well as military infrastructure.
NATO WARNING
Human rights group Amnesty International said on Thursday that Ukraine is putting civilians at risk by deploying troops in residential areas. read more Zelensky hit back at the group, saying it was trying to “shift the blame from the aggressor to the victim.” read more The White House said it expects Russian officials to try to frame Ukrainian forces for an attack on the front-line town of Olenivka last week that killed prisoners held by Moscow-backed separatists. read more Russia’s deputy ambassador to the UN responded in a Twitter post, saying that US-made high-mobility rocket artillery systems were used in the attack. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday he would launch a fact-finding mission after Russia and Ukraine both called for an investigation. read more Putin says he launched his “special military operation” in Ukraine to ensure Russian security and protect Russian-speakers in Ukraine. Ukraine and the West describe Russia’s actions as an unprovoked, imperial-style war of aggression. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday that the war was the most dangerous time for Europe since World War II and Russia must not be allowed to win. read more Amid fears among some politicians in the West that Russia’s ambitions may extend beyond Ukraine, Stoltenberg warned Putin that the response to such a move by the Western military alliance would be overwhelming. “If President Putin even thinks about doing something similar in a NATO country as he has done in Georgia, Moldova or Ukraine, then all of NATO will be involved immediately,” Stoltenberg said. The war led formerly non-aligned Finland and Sweden to seek NATO membership, with the request so far ratified by 23 of the 30 member states, including the United States. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Report from Reuters offices. Written by Michael Perry. Edited by Stephen Coates, Robert Birsel Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
