On Saturday 23 July the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, condemned the Russian strike of the port of Odessa, which came a day after Ukraine and Russia signed a UN-sponsored agreement in Turkey on the export of Ukrainian grain.
“The EU strongly condemns the Russian missile strike on Odessa’s seaport. Striking a target crucial for grain export a day after the signature of the Istanbul agreements is particularly reprehensible and again demonstrates Russia’s total disregard for international law and commitments”, he said on his Twitter account.
There was also an “unequivocal” condemnation by UN Secretary-General António Guterres in a statement calling for the full implementation of the Istanbul agreements. The Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, spoke of “Russian barbarism”.
Russia claimed on Monday 25 July that the strike had targeted munitions and was “exclusively against military installations” and that it did not prevent exports. “This cannot and should not hinder the start of the loading process” of the grain, the Kremlin spokesperson said, as quoted by AFP.
According to AFP, Ukraine said on Monday that it hoped to resume exports “this week”.
After a visit to Egypt on Saturday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was in Congo Brazzaville on Monday. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)