Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs the meeting of the supervisory board of the presidential forum “Russia – Land of Opportunities” at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, April 20, 2022.
Mikhail Tereizhenko | Sputnik | via Reuters
WASHINGTON – World leaders were quick to condemn the Russian missile attack on a Ukrainian port, a dramatic revelation amid a UN deal that secured a maritime corridor for grain and other food exports.
A day earlier, representatives of the UN, Turkey, Russia and Ukraine signed a deal to reopen three Ukrainian ports, an apparent breakthrough as the Kremlin’s war against its ex-Soviet neighbor enters its fifth month.
The deal, signed in Istanbul and set to be implemented in the coming weeks, follows a months-long blockade of dozens of Ukrainian ports dotted along the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea.
The strike in Odesa, Ukraine’s largest port, illustrates another anxious turn in unsuccessful efforts to mitigate a growing global food crisis.
A general view shows a fire engine at the scene of a burning building after a bombing, as the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues in a location given as Odesa, Ukraine in this image obtained on social media posted on July 19, 2022.
State Emergency Service of Ukraine | via Reuters
An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Russia “predictably worthless” after the attack.
“The ink hasn’t had time to dry, but there are two vile provocations: an attack on a seaport in Odesa and a statement by the Russian Ministry of Defense that Ukrainian ports are “dangerous for transport maritime,” Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on Twitter.
“Not even 24 hours had passed before these grain terminals, the territory of Odesa and the port were attacked,” Zelenskyy told a delegation of US lawmakers visiting Ukraine.
Among those who visited Zelenskyy, Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) said Russian President Vladimir Putin “violated the spirit of this agreement with more missile strikes.”
“He simply cannot be trusted,” Smith, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, wrote in a statement.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US strongly condemns the Russian missile attack and said Russia is responsible for deepening the global food crisis.
The attack “undermines the work of the UN, Turkey and Ukraine to bring critical food to global markets,” Blinken said in a statement.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has “unequivocally” condemned the missile attack on the port.
“Full implementation [of the deal] by the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Turkey is imperative,” the UN chief wrote.
Bridget Brink, President Joe Biden’s ambassador to Ukraine, urged the global community to hold Russia to account.
“The Kremlin continues to weaponize food. Russia must be held accountable,” Brink wrote on Twitter.
The head of foreign policy of the European Union, Josep Borrell, called the Russian missile attack in Odesa “reprehensible”.
“Achieving a crucial grain export target a day after the signing of the Istanbul accords is particularly reprehensible, once again demonstrating Russia’s total disregard for international law and commitments,” Borrell wrote on Twitter.
Spanish celebrity chef and restaurateur José Andrés, who brought his humanitarian organization to Ukraine to alleviate the food crisis triggered by Russia’s war, also hit out at the missile attacks in Odesa.
“Why are you attacking grain that should be exported? Why? Let’s stop, please, and feed the world,” wrote the two-Michelin-star chef and founder of World Central Kitchen, a group dedicated to feeding vulnerable communities.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said the missile attacks were “all there is to know about the deals with Russia”.
“Today, Russian missiles arrive at the port of Odesa. This is all you need to know about the deals with Russia. The world must help Ukraine fight the aggressor,” he wrote.
— Reuters contributed to this report.