Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of routinely violating agreements after Moscow’s forces Saturday bombed Odessa’s port, a facility key to a grain export deal the warring parties signed a day earlier.
“This proves only one thing: no matter what Russia says and promises, it will find ways not to implement it,” Zelensky said during a meeting with US lawmakers, according to a statement from the presidency.
The Ukrainian military said its air defences had shot down two cruise missiles but two more hit the port, threatening the landmark agreement hammered out over months of negotiations aimed at relieving a global food crisis.
The presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak called on the world to “act” in the wake of the attack and said Ukraine’s allies should build sanctions pressure on Moscow and secure more weapons for Kyiv.
“The Russians are systematically creating a food crisis (and) doing everything to make people suffer. Famine terror continues. The world must act,” Yermak wrote on social media.
“The best food safety guarantees are twofold: effective sanctions against Russia and more weapons for Ukraine,” he added, echoing an appeal from Ukrainian officials.
