RT News - October 30th 2022 The Weekly

Russia suspends its role in the international deal on grain shipments from Ukraine, following a mass attack on Russia's Black Sea fleet by Ukrainian drones, allegedly with US and British military support.

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks of a new era of global change at the Valdai international forum in Moscow, as he notes Western leadership failures and observes the rise of Asia, Africa and Latin America. The whole meeting can be seen here, with (most of) transcript and English translation throughout. https://rumble.com/v1qbpl1-president-putin-takes-part-in-the-valdai-international-discussion-club-meet.html

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In Pakistan, ex PM Imran Khan and around 10,000 of his supporters are on the march from Lahore to the capital Islamabad. It's expected more will join the route.

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From RT website 30 Oct, 2022 07:41

Moscow responds to criticism over grain deal suspension

Washington chose to ignore Ukraine’s assault on Russian ships involved in securing the safety of sea routes, a top diplomat said

Russia’s decision to suspend the grain deal with Ukraine was prompted by Kiev’s reckless actions, Moscow’s ambassador to Washington said on Sunday, while describing Western condemnation of the move as unwarranted.

Russia halted its compliance with the agreement, brokered by the UN and Türkiye, after Kiev conducted a major drone attack on ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet involved in securing safe passage for agricultural cargo.

Speaking to reporters, Anatoly Antonov said: "Washington's reaction to the terrorist attack on the port of Sevastopol is truly outrageous,” adding that the US refrained from condemning “the reckless actions of the Kiev regime.”

Antonov noted the West’s “complete disregard” of Russia’s allegations that the bombing of Russian ships was organized with the involvement of the British military. The UK Ministry of Defence has denied the accusation.

Amid “attacks and provocations against Russian military and merchant vessels involved in the Black Sea Initiative”, Moscow cannot continue operations without paying attention to security issues, Antonov insisted.

The envoy also addressed “insinuations” that Russia is causing global starvation, saying Moscow has repeatedly highlighted the importance of supplying the poorest countries with agricultural goods.

“However, under the grain scheme, a good half of all dry-cargo carriers went to developed countries. At the same time, Somalia, Ethiopia, Yemen, Sudan and Afghanistan received only about 3% of agricultural products,” he noted.

On Saturday, Russia’s Defense Ministry announced that it was suspending the implementation of agreements on the export of agricultural products from Ukrainian ports, citing a Ukrainian “terror attack” against ships of the Black Sea Fleet and civilian vessels involved in ensuring the security of the grain corridor.

US President Joe Biden denounced Moscow’s decision as “purely outrageous,” claiming it would “increase starvation.” “There’s no merit to what they’re doing. The UN negotiated that deal and that should be the end of it,” he said.

Meanwhile, commenting on Russia’s decision to suspend the grain deal, Andrey Ermak, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s chief of staff, accused Moscow of “blackmail.”

The breakthrough deal between Moscow and Kiev was reached in Istanbul in July with mediation by the UN and Türkiye. It aimed to unlock agricultural exports via the Black Sea from Russia and Ukraine, which had come to halt due to the conflict between the two nations. The deal was praised as critical for easing the global food crisis and helping the world’s poorest nations to avoid starvation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, however, repeatedly accused Western nations of taking over grain exported from Ukraine, instead of allowing it to be delivered to developing countries. Moscow also warned that it could quit the grain deal if an agreement to ease restrictions on its food and fertilizer exports were not implemented.
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Biden ‘outraged’ by Russia’s move
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US President Joe Biden has claimed there is absolutely “no merit” to Moscow’s decision to halt the agreement which allowed the export of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea.

Russia previously warned that the shipping route could be abused by smugglers, and put the deal on hold on Saturday following what it called a “terrorist attack” on vessels involved in ensuring the security of the corridor.

“It’s purely outrageous… It’s going to increase starvation,” Biden told reporters in Delaware on Saturday. “There’s no merit to what they’re doing. The UN negotiated that deal and that should be the end of it.”

Russia announced on Saturday that it had halted its compliance with the pact, brokered by the UN and Türkiye earlier this year. The move came after Kiev launched a major drone attack on the Black Sea Fleet and civilian vessels involved in securing safe passage for agricultural cargo from Ukrainian ports, the Russian Defense Ministry explained.

Ukrainian authorities neither confirmed nor denied carrying out the attack, but called Russia’s decision to suspend the grain deal “primitive blackmail.”

President Vladimir Zelensky said dozens of ships are currently stranded, some for more than three weeks, and accused Russia of setting up a “deliberate blockade” to bring a “large-scale famine to Africa and Asia.”

On Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry explained that Moscow’s experts involved in checking ships sailing under the agreement are being pressured by an “artificial” crowding of vessels in the port of Istanbul, apparently to push them into less rigorous cargo checks.

Following the blast on the strategic Crimean Bridge earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that if it turns out that Ukraine used grain corridors to smuggle explosives, “it would put the very existence of these corridors in question.”

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) accused Ukrainian military intelligence of masterminding the bombing. The explosives, it claimed, originated in the port city of Odessa and traveled through Bulgaria, Georgia and Armenia before reaching the target destination.

The breakthrough deal between Moscow and Kiev was reached in Istanbul in July with mediation by the UN and Türkiye. It aimed to unlock agricultural exports via the Black Sea from Russia and Ukraine – two of the world’s leading grain exporters – which had ground to halt due to the conflict between the two nations. The deal was praised as critical to easing the global food crisis and helping the world’s poorest nations to avoid starvation.

The Russian leader, however, repeatedly accused Western nations of taking over grain exported from Ukraine, instead of allowing it to be delivered to developing countries. Late last month he said that of the 203 ships that left Ukrainian ports as of September 23, only four went to the poorest countries.

Russia's Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev signaled on Saturday that Moscow is ready, with Türkiye’s help, to send the world’s poorest countries up to 500,000 tons of grain within the next four next months. He noted that considering this year's harvest, Russia “is fully ready to replace Ukrainian grain” and arrange deliveries to “all interested countries” at a reasonable price.

https://www.rt.com/russia/565601-russia-grain-deal-suspension-criticism/
and https://www.rt.com/news/565597-biden-russia-ukraine-grain/
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