Ukraine announced on Saturday September 16 that two cargo ships were currently sailing in the Black Sea towards its ports, a first since the end of the grain agreement with Russia in July which until then allowed the export of Ukrainian foodstuffs. despite the Russian invasion. “The first civilian ships are using the temporary corridor to reach Ukrainian ports (…) The cargo ships ‘Resilient Africa’ and ‘Aroyat’ have confirmed that they are ready to take the route to the port of Chornomorsk to load almost 20 000 tonnes of wheat destined for Africa and Asia”, announced the Ukrainian Minister of Infrastructure, Oleksandr Koubrakov. Follow our live stream for the latest information relating to the war in Ukraine.
A standoff over cereals. The grain issue has continued to poison relations between Ukraine and several Eastern European countries. The European Commission confirmed on Friday the end of the authorization granted to five states to block imports of certain Ukrainian agricultural products, accused of driving prices down to the detriment of local farmers. Ukraine is committed to adopting measures to “avoid flights” exports and prices. But Poland, Hungary and Slovakia have announced their intention to maintain these restrictions, at the risk of a standoff with Brussels and kyiv, of which Warsaw is one of the closest allies.
A village at the heart of Russian and Ukrainian declarations. The Russian army claimed not to have been “dislodged” from the village of Andriïvka, in Ukraine, south of the devastated town of Bakhmout, on the eastern front, contradicting an announcement made the day before by the Ukrainian general staff. “In the Donetsk sector, the enemy (…) continued to carry out assault operations (…), trying in vain to dislodge Russian troops from the localities of Klichtchiïvka and Andriïvka”announced the Russian Ministry of Defense in its daily bulletin.
Zelensky in Washington on Thursday. The Ukrainian president will be received at the White House by Joe Biden, announced the American national security adviser, Jake Sullivan. This second visit to the United States since the start of the war “comes at a critical time, as Russia desperately seeks help from countries like North Korea to wage its brutal war in Ukraine”, this senior official told the press. Volodymyr Zelensky will also participate in the United Nations General Assembly in New York.