Ukraine and Russia: What you need to know right now

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Ukraine pressed forward with efforts to restart grain exports from Odesa and different Black Sea ports after a missile assault that solid doubt over whether or not Russia would honor a deal aimed toward easing international meals shortages brought on by the battle.

DIPLOMACY, ECONOMY

* President Volodymyr Zelenskiy mentioned Russian missile strikes on Odesa had been blatant “barbarism” that confirmed Moscow couldn’t be trusted to implement the grain deal.

* The United Nations, European Neighborhood, United States, Britain, Germany and Italy condemned the strikes.

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* Russia mentioned its forces had hit a Ukrainian warship and a weapons retailer in Odesa with its high-precision missiles.

* Based on the Ukrainian army, two Kalibr missiles fired from Russian warships hit the world of a pumping station on the port and two others had been shot down by air protection forces.

* Ukraine may export 60 million tonnes of grain in eight to 9 months if its ports weren’t blockaded, however Russia’s strike on the port of Odesa confirmed it can positively not be that simple, an financial adviser to the Ukrainian president mentioned.

* Pope Francis mentioned he yearned to go to Ukraine, in his efforts to attempt to deliver an finish to a five-month-old battle that he has repeatedly decried.

FIGHTING

* Ukraine’s army reported Russian shelling in quite a few areas within the north, south and east, and once more referred to Russian operations paving the best way for an assault on Bakhmut within the Donbas.

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* Ukraine’s air drive command mentioned its forces had shot down three Kalibr cruise missiles launched by the Russian forces from the Black Sea and aimed on the western Khmelnytskiy area.

* Ukrainian forces are regularly transferring into the jap Kherson area, which was taken over by Russia initially of the battle, Zelenskiy mentioned late on Saturday.

Reuters couldn’t instantly confirm the battlefield reviews.

QUOTES

“The Russian missile is Vladimir Putin’s spit within the face of U.N. Secretary Common Antonio Guterres and Turkish President Recep Erdogan, who went to nice lengths to achieve an settlement and to whom Ukraine is grateful,” mentioned Ukraine’s international ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko referring to Saturday’s strikes on Odesa port.

“We proceed technical preparations for the launch of exports of agricultural merchandise from our ports,” Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov mentioned in a Fb publish.

(Compiled by William Mallard and Frances Kerry)