Russia FM to participate in BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting online in July and in person in August
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks at the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Meeting with Russia at the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Jakarta on July 13, 2023.
Adi Weda | AFP | Getty Images
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will attend Thursday’s BRICS conference online and then in person at the coalition’s meeting in August, a spokesperson confirmed.
The next meeting of the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa is scheduled for August 22-24. The case sparked intense speculation about the possible attendance of Russian President Vladimir Putin in person following an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court.
Putin confirmed on Wednesday that Russia’s TASS news agency had reported the statement by the Russian head of state and confirmed that he would not visit him in person. Plan to attend all sessions of the summit in August virtuallyAccording to Google Translate.
— Jenny Reed
Germany and allies ramp up efforts to ship grain out of Ukraine by rail, Deutsche FM reports
In comments reported by Reuters, Germany and Ukraine’s international allies are stepping up efforts to export grain from Ukraine by rail, German Foreign Minister Annalena Barbock said on the sidelines of an EU meeting in Brussels.
“Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people are in dire need of Ukrainian grain, so we are working with all our international partners to ensure that Ukrainian grain does not spoil in silos within a few weeks and reaches people in urgent need around the world,” Barbock said.
Ukraine’s grain exports have been at the forefront of international attention after Russia pulled out of a deal that allowed such maritime shipments earlier this week.
— Jenny Reed
Wheat futures continue to rise amid Ukrainian export concerns
Wheat futures continued their gains on Thursday after Russia fired weapons at Ukrainian port cities and storage facilities over a three-day period after Russia pulled out of talks over a Black Sea export deal.
Chicago wheat contracts expiring in September were up 2.65% as of 9:44 am London time, hitting a three-week high after surging 8% on Wednesday.
Wheat futures expire September.
Wagner conducts joint exercises with the Belarusian Army on the Belarusian-Polish border
Russian state news agency TASS reported that troops from the Russian militia Wagner, which once served the Kremlin in hostilities in Ukraine, will conduct combat training alongside the Belarusian army. Google translated report Citing the Belarusian Ministry of Defense.
The training will take place at one of the Minsk military bases near Brest on the Belarusian-Polish border.
Part of Wagner’s army was evacuated to Belarus after leader Yevgeny Prigozhin’s failed uprising against Moscow in June. Minsk has provided reserves for Wagner fighters, but has yet to say how many such mercenaries it is accepting.
— Luxandra Iordake
EU’s Borrell accuses Russia of endangering global food security
“What we already know is that this will cause a massive and enormous food crisis in the world,” Borrell said ahead of the EU foreign ministers’ meeting.
Nicolas Maeterlinck | Nicolas Maeterlinck AFP | Getty Images
European Union (EU) Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said on Thursday that Russia’s decision on Monday to withdraw from a pact on Ukraine’s grain exports endangered global food security, according to Reuters.
“What we already know is that this will cause a massive and enormous food crisis in the world,” Borrell said ahead of the EU foreign ministers’ meeting. He also sided with Ukraine, accusing Russia of deliberately targeting grain storage facilities in Odesa, a major port hub in a battleground that Russia has attacked in recent days.
On Monday, Russia withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which for nearly a year allowed a humanitarian corridor to export wartime Ukrainian grain to world markets.
The Russian Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
— Luxandra Iordake
At least 19 wounded in Mykolaiv, two in Odessa
At least 19 people were injured in Russian airstrikes on the Ukrainian port city of Mykolaiv, regional military chief Vitaly Kim said. said on telegramAccording to Google Translate.
“As a result of the impact, several floors of the three-story building were destroyed and a fire spread over an area of 450 square meters,” he said. “A total of 19 people were injured as a result of the rocket attack. Eight sought medical help and two were hospitalized, including a child.”
The Ukrainian Air Force said in a telegram that Russian forces had again attacked southern Ukraine. Attack Odessa in the port like Muiko Raiv According to Google Translate, the night of July 20th. In recent days, Russia has targeted both sites in what it called a “terrorist attack” on the Crimean Bridge.
The Odesa administration’s Ole Kiper said two people had been hospitalized as a result of recent hostilities. Google translated comments on Telegram.
— Luxandra Iordake
Ukraine says Odessa and Mykolaiv were hit by Russian missiles overnight
Russian attack on Ukrainian port city continued overnight, Ukrainian Air Force said on the messaging app Telegram.According to Google Translate.
Russia launched 19 missiles and 19 drones, some of which hit ports, houses and shopping districts in Odessa and Mykolaiv, according to the Air Force. It said it had shot down two sea-based cruise missiles, three ground-based cruise missiles and 13 Shahed drones.
Ukrainian officials say the strike will last three nights.
— Jenny Reid
Russia announces that it will consider all ships sailing to Ukrainian ports as military freighters
Aerial view of a dry cargo ship transporting grain from Ukraine under the UN-brokered Black Sea Agreement.
Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
announced by the Russian Ministry of Defense. Official telegram channel All ships sailing to Ukrainian ports are considered military cargo ships.
The announcement follows Moscow’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, a maritime humanitarian corridor used for agricultural exports.
The Russian military also said that all ships passing through the waterway were “deemed to be involved in the Ukrainian conflict on the part of the Kiev regime.”
— Amanda Macias
Russia’s attack on Odessa port destroyed 60,000 tons of grain, says agriculture minister
Farmers harvest grain with a harvesting vehicle in the Stavropol region, one of Russia’s most important agricultural lands, July 16, 2023.
Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Ukraine’s agriculture minister said on Wednesday that 60,000 tons of grain and critical infrastructure had been destroyed by Russian missile and drone attacks on Odesa port and surrounding areas in southern Ukraine.
“A significant part of the grain export infrastructure in the port of Chornomorsk was brought to a halt during the nighttime attack,” Mykola Sorsky said via the Telegram app, according to Google Translate.
The port of Chornomorsk in the Odessa region is an important port for the export of Ukrainian grains and agricultural products such as corn and sunflower seeds. Before the war, Ukraine and Russia together accounted for 25% of world grain exports.
The two-day Russian attack on Ukrainian ports came shortly after Russia pulled out of a UN-brokered grain deal that would allow Ukrainian export ships to safely sail out of the Black Sea. They are also following the Kerch Bridge explosion in Crimea, which Kiev has blamed, although Kiev has not claimed responsibility.
The United Nations and Western and Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of attacking virtually everyone dependent on Ukraine’s grain exports, putting them at risk of starvation. Most of Ukraine’s grain and food products are sent to the Middle East and Africa.
— Natasha Turak
