Russia halts participation in U.N. deal to export grain from Ukrainian ports after an attack on ships in Crimea
Moscow suspended its participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative in a retaliatory move for what it says were Kyiv-ordered attacks on Russian vessels.
Russia's Ministry of Defense said on Saturday that it would halt participation, citing retaliation for Kyiv's "act of terrorism" against Russian warships. Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Ukrainian armed forces launched "massive air and sea strikes using unmanned aerial vehicles against ships and infrastructure of the Russian Black Sea Fleet at the naval base in Sevastopol.
"We have warned of Russia's plans to ruin the Black Sea Grain Initiative," Kuleba wrote in a tweet. "I call on all states to demand Russia to stop its hunger games and recommit to its obligations." The grain harvester collects wheat on the field near the village of Zgurivka in the Kyiv region, while Russia continues the war against Ukraine. August 9, 2022., a United Nations-backed deal brokered in July, eased Russia's naval blockade and saw the reopening of three key Ukrainian ports. The first vessel left Ukraine's port of Odesa on Aug. 1 carrying more than 26,000 metric tons of corn.