Russian missiles strike Ukraine's Odessa port, key to grain deal: official

KYIV: Ukraine said Saturday that Russian missiles had struck the Odessa port, a key Black Sea terminal, one day after Moscow and Kyiv penned a deal to resume grain exports blocked by the war.

“The enemy attacked the Odessa sea port with Kalibr cruise missiles. Two of the missiles were shot down by air defences. Two hit port infrastructure,” Sergiy Bratchuk, a representative of the Odessa region said in a statement on social media.

Russia will ‘bear full responsibility’ if grain deal collapses, Kyiv said in statement. Putin ‘spits in the face’ of UN, Turkey with Odessa attack, it said in a statement.

Ukraine and Russia signed landmark deal on Friday aimed at relieving a global food crisis caused by blocked Black Sea grain deliveries, ending months of negotiations.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told Kremlin state media after attending the signing ceremony that he expected the deal to start working “in the next few days”.

He pointed out that Russia had managed to secure a separate pledge from Washington and Brussels to lift all restrictions on its own grain and other agricultural exports.