Russian missiles hit Ukraine's Odessa port, key to grain deal
Gulf Times
A man stands in front of a crater following a Russian airstrike in a village in the Odessa region, on July 19, 2022, amid the Russian military invasion of Ukraine.
Russian missiles struck Ukraine's key Black Sea port of Odessa Saturday, officials said, in an attack Kyiv described as a "spit in the face" of a deal signed by the warring neighbours a day earlier to resume grain exports blocked by the conflict.
Two cruise missiles hit terminal infrastructure, regional authorities said on social media, casting a shadow over the landmark agreement hammered out over months of negotiations aimed at relieving a global food crisis caused by stalled deliveries that sent wheat prices tumbling.
"The Russian missile (strike) is (Russian President) Vladimir Putin's spit in the face of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Turkish President Recep (Tayyip) Erdogan, who made enormous efforts to reach an agreement," said foreign ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko.
The first major accord between the countries since the February invasion of Ukraine aims to ease the "acute hunger" that the United Nations says faces an additional 47 million people because of the war.
