Ukraine accuses Russia of bombing the port of Odessa
Ukraine's military said Russian missiles had hit infrastructure facilities in the Ukrainian port of Odessa on Saturday, in a blow to an agreement signed on Friday to lift a blockade of grain exports through Ukraine's Black Sea ports.
The landmark agreement signed by Moscow and Kiev on Friday is seen as a major step towards reining in food prices around the world and will allow some exports to be shipped from Black Sea ports, including the main port of Odessa.
"The enemy attacked the commercial port of Odessa with Kalibr cruise missiles, and the air defense forces shot down two missiles, while two missiles hit the port infrastructure," the Ukrainian Southern Operations Command wrote on Telegram.
Ukraine's foreign ministry called on the United Nations and Turkey, which mediated Friday's agreement, to ensure that Russia fulfills its obligations and ensure freedom of movement in the grain corridor.
The Russian Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The Russian blockade of Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea has left tens of millions of tons of grain in silos, stranded many ships and exacerbated bottlenecks in global supply chains.
With sweeping Western sanctions, the pace of inflation in food and energy prices has escalated around the world.
Friday's agreement aims to avert a famine that threatens tens of millions of people in poor countries by pumping more wheat, sunflower oil, fertilizer and other products into global markets, including humanitarian aid that is partially sold at low prices.
Senior UN officials told reporters on Friday that the agreement was expected to be fully implemented within a few weeks and would increase grain shipments from the three reopened ports to reach pre-war levels of five million tons per month.
Under the plan, Ukrainian officials will guide the ships through safe channels in its mine-laden territorial waters to three ports, including Odessa, where they will be loaded with grain.
Moscow has denied responsibility for the worsening food crisis, blaming Western sanctions instead for slowing its exports of food and fertilizer, and accusing Ukraine of mining roads to Black Sea ports.
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