Summary
It’s nearly 2am in Kyiv. Here’s where things stand:
- A new statement from Europol announced that the organization has no records of weapons being smuggled out of Ukraine. The European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation said that it has full confidence in Ukraine, especially because the country has started to implement new measures to monitor and track weapons, Euromaidan reports.
- Russia’s invasion of Ukriane has caused $5.5bn in damage to Ukraine’s environment, the Kyiv Independent reports. According to Ruslan Strelets, Ukraine’s minister of environmental protection and natural resources, there have been 2,000 recorded cases of damage to nature since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February.
- The US is exploring whether it can send American-made fighter jets to Ukraine, a White House spokesperson announced on Friday. Although Joe Biden’s administration has started making explorations into the possibility of providing the jets to Ukraine, the move is not something that would be done immediately, White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters in a briefing.
- Emergency workers recovered three bodies from a school hit by a Russian strike in eastern Ukraine, officials said on Friday, one of a string of attacks on the nation as Russia claims that that its forces destroyed four Himars. The casualties in the city of Kramatorsk followed a barrage Thursday on a densely populated area of Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, that killed at least three people and wounded 23.
- Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said Friday he has little confidence in Russia fulfilling its side of a bargain reached with Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations on resuming grain shipments from Ukraine, Agence France-Presse reports. “Canada’s confidence in Russia’s reliability is pretty much nil,” said Trudeau.
- Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced on Friday that Ukraine has about $10bn worth of grain available for sale in the wake of the deal. “This is another demonstration that Ukraine can withstand the war,” he said in a late-night address, Reuters reports. He said that Ukraine will also have a chance to sell the current harvest.
- Russian investigators on Friday launched a criminal investigation into a pregnant city councillor in Siberia who is one of the last allies of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny still in the country. The investigative committee said it has launched criminal proceedings against Helga Pirogova over spreading disinformation concerning Russia’s military. Pirogova is an independent member of the city council in Novosibirsk, Russia’s third-largest city.
- On Friday, the US signed off on an additional $270m in military aid to Ukraine including four new Himar (high mobility artillery rocket) precision rocket systems. Speaking to reporters, White House spokesman John Kirby said Russia has “launched deadly strikes across the country, striking malls, apartment buildings, killing innocent Ukrainian civilians”.
That’s it from me, Maya Yang, as we close our blog for today. I’ll be back tomorrow, thank you.
Updated
A new statement from Europol announced that the organization has no records of weapons being smuggled out of Ukraine.
The European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation said that it has full confidence in Ukraine, especially because the country has started to implement new measures to monitor and track weapons, Euromaidan reports.
“Europol is working closely with Ukrainian officials to mitigate the threat of arms trafficking into the European Union. We have full confidence in them as they implement new measures to monitor and track these firearms,” Europol stated in a statement on Friday.
“We continue to be in close contact as the situation on the ground in Ukraine changes, and we are grateful to our Ukrainian colleagues for this. They continue to follow leads and cooperate on cases of interest for EU internal security, in spite of the continued Russian military aggression,” it added.
Russia’s invasion of Ukriane has caused $5.5 billion in damage to Ukraine’s environment, the Kyiv Independent reports.
According to Ruslan Strelets, Ukraine’s minister of environmental protection and natural resources, there have been 2,000 recorded cases of damage to nature since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February.
“Today, Russia is the main environmental terrorist,” Strelets said, the outlet reported.
Updated
The US is exploring whether it can send American-made fighter jets to Ukraine, a White House spokesperson announced on Friday.
Although Joe Biden’s administration has started exploring the possibility of providing the jets to Ukraine, the move is not something that would be done immediately, White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters in a briefing.
“It’s not something that would be executed in the near-term,” Kirby said, Reuters reports.
Such a move would be a major increase in US support for Ukraine in its battle against Russia. So far the United States has provided $8.2 billion in security aid for Ukraine.
Earlier today, the White House signed off on the provision of four additional Himars to Ukraine, bringing the total number of high mobility artillery rocket systems provided to Ukraine up to 20.
Updated
Emergency workers recovered three bodies from a school hit by a Russian strike in eastern Ukraine, officials said Friday, one of a string of attacks on the nation as Russia claims that its forces destroyed four Himars.
The casualties in the city of Kramatorsk followed a barrage Thursday on a densely populated area of Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, that killed at least three people and wounded 23.
The Ukrainian president’s office said that in the Donbas city of Kramatorsk, Russian shelling destroyed a school and damaged 85 residential buildings.
“Russian strikes on schools and hospitals are very painful and reflect its true goal of reducing peaceful cities to ruins,” Donetsk governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said in televised remarks, Agence France-Presse reports.
Russian officials have offered a different narrative of the attack, with defense ministry spokesman Lt Gen Igor Konashenkov saying that Thursday’s strike killed over 300 Ukrainian troops that were using Kramatorsk’s School No 23 as their base.
He also claimed that another strike destroyed a munitions depot in the southern city of Mykolaiv. Additionally, Konashenkov claimed that Russian forces destroyed four US-supplied high mobility artillery rocket systems between 5-20 July.
The claims could not be independently verified by Agence France-Presse.
A senior US defense official speaking on the condition of anonymity said on Thursday that Russia has not yet destroyed a single Himars but was likely to “get lucky” and do so at some point.
Updated
Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said Friday he has little confidence in Russia fulfilling its side of a bargain reached with Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations on resuming grain shipments from Ukraine, Agence France-Presse reports.
“Canada’s confidence in Russia’s reliability is pretty much nil,” said Trudeau.
Nevertheless, he said he is “optimistic” that the grain will find its way “to places around the world where it is needed,” he said at a press briefing.
“They have demonstrated nothing but poor faith,” he said. “They have precipitated a global energy crisis (and) a global food crisis with their invasion of Ukraine, and the rest of us have been working very, very hard to try and mitigate those issues around the world.”
Trudeau said Canada and its G7 counterparts are “working closely” with Turkey, the UN and others to get up to 25 million tonnes of grain stuck in Ukraine to global markets.
Ukraine 'has $10bn of grain to sell', says Zelenskiy
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced on Friday that Ukraine has around $10bn worth of grain available for sale in the wake of a deal signed with Russia earlier today to unblock supplies.
“This is another demonstration that Ukraine can withstand the war,” he said in a late-night address, Reuters reports. He said that Ukraine will also have a chance to sell the current harvest.
He went on to add that approximately 20m tonnes of last year’s harvest will be exported after the conclusion of what he called an important deal.
Updated
Russian investigators on Friday launched a criminal investigation into a pregnant city councillor in Siberia who is one of the last allies of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny still in the country, Agence France-Presse reports.
The investigative committee said it has launched criminal proceedings against Helga Pirogova over spreading disinformation concerning Russia’s military. Pirogova is an independent member of the city council in Novosibirsk, Russia’s third-largest city.
The 33-year-old has publicly criticized Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine and faces up to three years in prison if convicted. She was briefly detained on Thursday and according to her supporters, she is four months pregnant.
“They need an internal enemy that they can easily fight,” she told AFP on Friday. When asked about how she felt, Pirogova said, “I’d like to avoid this but what can you do.”
Investigators have accused Pirogova of posting “false information” about the Russian army in mid-July, when she commented on a report on Twitter regarding the funerals of troops killed in Ukraine.
She said she wanted to “revive” the troops to punish them for their role in Russia’s offensive and then “let them go back to their graves”. She later deleted her tweet, calling it “too emotional”.
Pirogova said she wanted to shed light on to the fact that people in Russian provinces were so poor that instead of mourning their dead they admired the funeral arrangements made by officials.
“You can invite half the village!” she said in a Facebook post this week.
In March, Pirogova sparked controversy when she showed up at a council meeting wearing a blue shirt and a crown of yellow flowers - the colours of the Ukrainian flag.
“I do not support any conflict and what is happening is an immense tragedy for everyone,” Pirogova told AFP in March.
Updated
On Friday, the US signed off on an additional $270 million in military aid to Ukraine including four new Himar (high mobility artillery rocket) precision rocket systems.
Speaking to reporters, White House spokesman John Kirby said Russia has “launched deadly strikes across the country, striking malls, apartment buildings, killing innocent Ukrainian civilians,” Agence France-Presse reports.
“In the face of these atrocities, the president has made clear that we’re going to continue to support the government of Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes,” he said.
The new aid will total the number of M142 high mobility artillery rocket Systems sent to Ukraine to 20. Himars can precisely strike targets within 80 kilometers (50 miles) - a game-changer in countering Russia.
The White House also said that the new military package will also include 500 new Phoenix Ghosts, small and highly portable drones that detonate on their target, as well as 36,000 rounds of artillery ammunition.
The majority of the aid comes from a $40bn package that Congress approved in May.
Earlier this week, Ukrainian defense minister Oleksii Reznikov said that he hoped that the US would provide as much as 100 Himars, arguing that they could help turn the tide of war against Russian forces.
Updated
Summary
Here are the latest developments at a glance:
- Ukraine and Russia have signed a UN-backed deal to allow the export of millions of tonnes of grain from blockaded Black Sea ports, potentially averting a looming catastrophic global food crisis.
- The US and the UK have said they would ‘watch’ Russia closely and monitor whether it will honour the agreement, which has been described as “life-saving” by the Red Cross chief.
- The grain crisis resulting from a lasting blockade of exports from Ukrainian ports should act as a “wake-up call” for Africa, the South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, has said.
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The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, will begin an African tour Sunday, and will visit Egypt, Ethiopia, Uganda and Congo Republic with the aim to forge closer ties as Moscow seeks new alliances.
- Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in an interview on Friday that a cease-fire with Russia without reclaiming the lost lands would only prolong the war and give Russia an opportunity to rest and rearm.
- The US believes that Russia’s military is sustaining hundreds of casualties a day in its war in Ukraine, and has lost thousands of lieutenants and captains in total.
That’s everything from me, my colleague Maya Yang will take over shortly.
Updated
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said a ceasefire with Russia without reclaiming the lost lands would only prolong the war.
According to an interview with the Wall Street Journal on Friday, he warned that a ceasefire that allows Russia to keep Ukrainian territories seized since the invasion in February would only encourage an even wider conflict, giving Moscow a much-needed opportunity to replenish and regroup for the next round of fighting.
“Freezing the conflict with the Russian Federation means a pause that gives the Russian Federation a break for rest,” the Wall Street Journal reported, citing comments by Zelenskiy.
Updated
The grain crisis resulting from a lasting blockade of exports from Ukrainian ports should act as a “wake-up call” for Africa to become self-reliant in producing cereals and fertilisers, the South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, said on Friday.
Ramaphosa made the remarks as Russia and Ukraine agreed on Friday a landmark deal with the UN and Turkey to unblock Black Sea delivery routes, a move that is hoped to ease global food shortages.
The South African president said the recent grain supply slump should inspire African countries to increase food production and reduce its reliance on imports, AFP reports.
At a press conference in Pretoria during a visit of Ivory Coast’s president, Alassane Ouattara, Ramaphosa said:
Do we want to continue for years to come to rely, for our grains, for our fertilisers, on that part of the world?
Or should we say this conflict is a wake-up call like Covid became a wake-up call to many of us on the African continent to start producing our own vaccines?
Many millions of people in Africa and the Middle East rely on Ukraine grain exports, and in various countries, such as Egypt and Nigeria, cereal prices have skyrocketed in recent months as supply thinned out.
Speaking alongside Ramaphosa, Ouattara said he told the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in a phone call earlier this week that Africa should be prioritised as shipments resume.
Russia has in recent months struggled to sell its crops and fertilisers because of western sanctions affecting the financial and logistics sectors. Africa needs to start producing its own fertilisers, Ramaphosa said.
Updated
The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, will begin an African tour in Egypt on Sunday, in the hope of establishing closer ties as Moscow seeks new alliances amid international sanctions against Russia because of the war in Ukraine.
In Egypt, which sources about a quarter of its wheat imports from Ukraine, Lavrov will meet Arab League members in Cairo, before he travelling to Ethiopia and Uganda, two countries whose relations with the west have come under strain, as well as Congo Republic, Reuters reports.
Egypt has significant strategic and economic ties with Russia, which has been a key source in recent years of wheat, weaponry and – until the war complicated travel – tourists.
This week, the Russian state-owned energy corporation Rosatom started long-delayed construction on Egypt’s first nuclear plant, the largest Russian-Egyptian project since the Aswan High Dam on the Nile was completed in 1970.
Updated
Josep Borrell Fontelles, the EU chief for foreign affairs and security policy, expressed hopes the grain deal would be implemented swiftly.
Russia‘s illegal invasion of Ukraine has left millions at risk of hunger.
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) July 22, 2022
Today‘s #Istanbul agreement is a step in the right direction. We call for its swift implementation.
Welcome efforts by @UN and Turkey.
The #EU is committed to continue helping export Ukraine’s grain.
The agreements signed by Ukraine, Russia, Turkey & @UN are a critical step in overcoming the global food insecurity caused by Russia‘s aggression against Ukraine.
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) July 22, 2022
EU remains committed to help #Ukraine bring as much of its grain into global markets as possible.
Full Statement: https://t.co/fAC3vuh7nY
Updated
The Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, said western nations would be watching closely to ensure the grain export deal reached between Ukraine and Russia on Friday did not put Ukraine at risk of being further invaded by Russia.
“The G7 is working closely with partners like Turkey and others to ensure that we can get that grain out of Ukraine and to places around the world where it’s needed without putting at risk Ukraine’s sovereignty and protection,” Trudeau said.
Updated
Boris Johnson spoke to Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday, telling the Ukrainian president that UK support will “not waver”, regardless of who becomes the next prime minister.
Johnson also welcomed news of the UN-brokered deal to resume Ukrainian grain exports.
A Downing Street spokesperson said the prime minister “stressed the UK’s ongoing determination to support the Ukrainian people and said that resolve will not waver, no matter who becomes the next UK prime minister”.
She added:
President Zelenskiy thanked the PM for his staunch support for Ukraine, and for his kind words in his last address to parliament.
The prime minister outlined the recent steps the UK has taken to bolster Ukraine’s resistance, including training thousands of Ukrainian troops in the UK.
The UK is working to expand this training effort, including through the involvement of international partners.
President Zelenskiy said the military support being provided by the UK and others is making a real difference in the conflict.
The prime minister welcomed today’s announcement of a UN-brokered deal to get grain out of Ukraine via the Black Sea and end Russia’s blockade.
Both the prime minister and president Zelenskiy stressed the need for the deal to be implemented in full by all parties.
Johnson and Zelenskiy also spoke about the treatment of UK prisoners being held by Russian-backed forces.
The Downing Street spokesperson added:
The leaders discussed their ongoing concern about the treatment of prisoners being held by Russian-backed forces in Ukraine, including those of British nationality.
The prime minister thanked president Zelenskiy for his government’s efforts to date to secure detainees’ freedom.
The prime minister paid tribute to the role president Zelenskiy has played and must continue to play in upholding a fair and proper judicial system in Ukraine.
Updated
UK 'will be watching Russia' after grain export deal
The British foreign secretary and contender for the job of prime minister, Liz Truss, has praised the Black Sea grain export agreement between Ukraine and Russia as “a positive step for global food security”.
The UK, she added, “will be watching to ensure Russia’s actions match its words”, echoing remarks from US ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield earlier today.
Grain shipments from Ukraine's Black Sea ports can resume thanks to a @UN-brokered agreement.
— Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (@FCDOGovUK) July 22, 2022
This is a positive step for global food security and will help some of the world's poorest and most vulnerable people.
The Foreign Secretary's statement ⤵️
Updated
Russia’s central bank will extend restrictions on cash withdrawals of foreign currency for Russians who collectively have around $85bn parked in their bank accounts, governor Elvira Nabiullina said on Friday.
Russia limited foreign currency cash withdrawals to $10,000 in March in response to the US and European Union banning the export of banknotes to Russia at a time when Russians tried to get hold of hard currency.
Nabiullina told a news conference the bank “will be forced to extend those restrictions” before they expire in early September, Reuters reports.
“The ban on the import of foreign banknotes into Russia remains in force,” she said, speaking after the Central Bank announced a larger interest rate cut than had been expected, bringing borrowing costs down from 9.5% to 8%.
Russia has launched a crackdown on the agency that processes the immigration of Russian Jews to Israel in response to new Israeli prime minister Yair Lapid’s tougher stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, analysts said on Friday.
On Thursday, a Moscow court said the justice ministry had requested the “dissolution” of the Jewish Agency over unspecified legal violations, and set a hearing for 28 July.
Lapid vowed to act through “diplomatic channels” to ensure the semi-governmental agency’s continued operation.
An Israeli delegation is to visit Moscow next week to discuss the matter and underline the close links between the Russian Jewish community and Israel, Agence France-Presse reports.
Israel’s diaspora affairs minister Nachman Shai accused the Kreml of punitive action over Israel’s stance on the war in Ukraine, tweeting:
Russian Jews will not be held hostage by the war in Ukraine.
The attempt to punish the Jewish Agency for Israel’s stance on the war is deplorable and offensive. The Jews of Russia cannot be detached from their historical and emotional connection to the State of Israel.
Ties between Russia and Israel have deteriorated since the Israeli government condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Israel underlined its good relations with both countries but Lapid, who became prime minister on 1 July, said Russia had committed “a grave violation of the international order”.
Last week, during a visit by US president Joe Biden, Lapid condemned “Russia’s unjustified invasion of Ukraine”, adding that “in order to protect freedom, sometimes force must be used.”
Updated
Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu said on Friday that the Kremlin would not “take advantage” of the demining and opening of Ukrainian ports as part of the UN-brokered deal to resume Ukrainian grain exports, Reuters reports.
Shoigu said on the Rossiya-24 state TV channel after the signing ceremony in Istanbul:
Russia has taken on the obligations that are clearly spelled out in this document. We will not take advantage of the fact that the ports will be cleared and opened. We have made this commitment.
Updated
Here are more details from my colleague Ruth Michaelson on the signing ceremony for the grain export agreement attended by Russian and Ukrainian delegations in the presence of Turkey’s president and the UN chief in Istanbul.
She reports:
At a grand stone-walled Ottoman palace in Istanbul, UN chief António Guterres and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan positioned themselves at the centre of a broad table laden with flowers to celebrate the signing of the agreement.
Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu sat opposite Turkish defence minister Hulusi Akar before Ukrainian trade minister Oleksandr Kubrakov signed an identical document agreeing to the safe transport of grain from Ukrainian ports.
“We are proud to be instrumental in an initiative playing a major role in solving the global food crisis,” Erdoğan told the roomful of UN officials, leading Turkish cabinet members, Ukrainian diplomats and members of the Russian and Turkish militaries.
Turkey hailed the signing of the grain agreement as a tentative step towards a broader peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, as well as a diplomatic victory for president Erdoğan who used a meeting with Vladimir Putin in Tehran to raise the issue of the grain corridors earlier this week.
“This joint step we are taking today in Istanbul with Russia and Ukraine will be a new turning point to revive hopes for peace, this is my sincere hope. The war will finally end at the negotiating table,” he said.
“Our diplomatic efforts under the leadership of our president are yielding results,” said foreign minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu ahead of the signing, adding that “we will continue our efforts to resolve the conflict”.
Nato member and Russian ally Turkey has hosted rounds of talks between the Ukrainian and Russian sides, positioning itself as a key arbiter for negotiations since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February.
Çavuşoğlu, who embraced Guterres on arrival at the signing ceremony, called the grain export agreement “the first step towards the solution of the food crisis affecting the whole world”.
Senior UN officials estimate that 71 million people worldwide moved into poverty in the first three months of this year, partially attributable to the war.
Approximately 20m tonnes of grain has been stuck for months in silos close to the blockaded port of Odessa, while the UN shuttled between Russian and Ukrainian officials in an effort to find a way to evacuate the grain that risked expiring as July’s harvest season set in.
Ukraine’s minister of infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov tweeted that the signing was “a great contribution to global food security”, alongside a picture with a smiling UN chief Guterres.
The signing was a boon to Turkey’s efforts at international diplomacy, and regarded as an important success for Erdoğan at home ahead of an election expected in the coming year.
“God willing, the signing ceremony will take place and we will give the good news to the world,” an ebullient Erdoğan told a rally of his supporters prior to attending the signing of the agreement.
Updated
Grain export deal 'life-saving', Red Cross chief says
Robert Mardini, director general of the International Committee of the Red Cross, has welcomed the grain export deal Russia and Ukraine have agreed in Turkey and stressed its importance.
He said:
A deal that allows grain to leave Black Sea ports is nothing short of life-saving for people across the world who are struggling to feed their families.
Nowhere are the consequences felt harder than in communities already impacted by armed conflict and climate shocks.
For example, our market monitoring, over the past six months has seen the price of food staples rise by 187% in Sudan; 86% in Syria; 60% in Yemen; 54% in Ethiopia; as compared to the same time period last year.
So efforts must continue.
The US will work to hold Russia accountable for implementing the UN-led deal to resume Ukraine’s Black Sea grain exports, said US ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
The US also wants China to stop stockpiling grain and offer more to meet global humanitarian aid needs, James O’Brien, head of the US State Department’s Office of Sanctions Coordination, told reporters, Reuters reports.
Prof Chris Elliott, the founder of the Institute for Global Food Security, has been speaking about the grain export deal that has been signed this afternoon.
He told viewers of Sky News in the UK that “there has been very little good news coming out of Ukraine since since the invasion began, and this is a very, very positive move.”
He said the accord could have a significant impact on the risk of hunger across the world. He said:
To put it into perspective, Ukraine is the fifth largest exporter of cereals in the world, and nearly half of that is bought by the United Nations, by the world food programme to go into feeding many, many millions of people, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, who are already running very, very short of food at the moment.
He added that it would take time for the scheme to get up and running, explaining:
The scale of the operation is enormous. 20m tonnes of cereal that is produced in Ukraine – they have to export 5m tonnes of it. Getting all of the ships in place that can carry that material. So probably two weeks is a reasonable amount of time for the movement to start. But really, to get it into full operation, into full tilt, will probably take at least a month from now. And it could be a couple of months, really, before those food chains that have been deprived of the cereals are replenished.
Here are some more of the pictures of the signing ceremony in Istanbul, including the presence of oligarch Roman Abramovich.
Updated
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, president of Turkey, has said the grain export deal will prevent billions of people facing famine at the signing ceremony in Istanbul for a grain export deal between Russia and Ukraine.
In remarks ahead of the signing, Erdoğan said that the deal would ease global inflation, and that implementation of the deal would be overseen by a joint coordination centre in Istanbul.
Erdoğan called on Russia and Ukraine to end the war, saying that it doesn’t only affect those involved, but the whole world. He said that the war would have to end at the negotiating table.
He praised the positive atmosphere that Turkey had been able to bring to these negotiations, and that he hoped this grain deal would be a turning point.
'Agreement did not come easy' – UN secretary general Guterres
In his comments opening the signing ceremony for the grain export deal between Russia and Ukraine, UN secretary general António Guterres said that the agreement “did not come easy”.
He said “Since the war started, I’ve been highlighting that there is no solution to the global food crisis without ensuring full global access to grains, food products, and food and fertilisers. Today we took important steps to achieve these objectives. But it has been a long road.
“In April, after being received by President Erdoğan, I met with President Putin and President Zelenskiy to propose a plan for solutions, and we have been working every day since.
“It took immense efforts and commitment by all sides, and weeks of around the clock negotiations. The commitment and dedication are even more vital today. This initiative must be fully implemented, because the world so desperately needs it to tackle the global food crisis.”
He went on to say: “I urge all sides to spare no efforts to implement their commitments. We must also spare no effort for peace.
“This is an unprecedented agreement between two parties engaged in bloody conflict. But that conflict continues and people are dying every day. And fighting is raging every day.
“The beacon of hope on the Black Sea is shining bright today, thanks to the collective efforts of so many.
“In these trying and turbulent times for the region and our globe. Let that beacon guide us towards easing human suffering and securing peace.”
Updated
Ukraine and Russia sign UN-backed deal to restart grain exports
Ukraine and Russia have signed a UN-backed deal to allow the export of millions of tonnes of grain from blockaded Black Sea ports, potentially averting the threat of a catastrophic global food crisis.
A signing ceremony at Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul was attended by the UN secretary general, António Guterres, and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey’s president, who had played a key role during months of tense negotiations.
Guterres said in remarks after the deal would open up grain exports from Ukraine and the UN would work to ensure its success.
It is hoped the agreement will secure the passage of grain and essential goods such as sunflower oil from three Ukrainian ports including Odesa, even as the war continues to rage elsewhere in the country. The UN had warned that the war risked mass malnutrition, hunger and famine.
The deal is also aimed at ensuring the safe passage of Russian-made fertiliser products, essential for ensuring future high yields on crops, amid efforts to ease a global food crisis provoked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
UN officials said they hoped preliminary shipments could begin as soon as Saturday, with the hope of reaching prewar levels of export from the three Ukrainian ports – a rate of 5m metric tonnes of grain a month – within weeks.
According to UN officials, under the agreement struck between Kyiv and Moscow:
- A coalition of Turkish, Ukrainian and UN staff will monitor the loading of grain on to vessels in Ukrainian ports before navigating a pre-planned route through the Black Sea, which remains heavily mined by Ukrainian and Russian forces.
- Ukrainian pilot vessels will guide commercial vessels transporting the grain in order to navigate the mined areas around the coastline using a map of safe channels provided by the Ukrainian side.
- The vessels will then cross the Black Sea towards Turkey’s Bosphorus strait while being closely monitored by a joint coordination centre in Istanbul, containing representatives from the UN, Ukraine, Russia and Turkey.
- Ships entering Ukraine will be inspected under the supervision of the same joint coordination centre to ensure they are not carrying weapons or items that could be used to attack the Ukrainian side.
- The Russian and Ukrainian sides have agreed to withhold attacks on any of the commercial vessels or ports engaged in the initiative to transport vital grain, while UN and Turkish monitors will be present in Ukrainian ports in order to demarcate areas protected by the accord.
Read more of Daniel Boffey and Ruth Michaelson’s report here: Ukraine and Russia sign UN-backed deal to restart grain exports
'This is an agreement for the world' – UN secretary general Guterres
Here is what the UN secretary general António Guterres has had to say in opening the ceremony to sign the grain deal. He thanked Turkey and praised the Russian and Ukrainian sides for coming together. He said:
Today there is a beacon on the Black Sea. The beacon of hope. The beacon of possibility. The beacon of relief in a world that needs it more than ever.
Thank you very much to the representatives of the Russian Federation and Ukraine. You have overcome obstacles, and put aside differences, to pave the way for an initiative that will serve the common interests of all.
Promoting the welfare of humanity has been the driving force of these talks. The question has not been what is good for one side or the other. The focus has been on what matters most for the people of our world.
And let there be no doubt – this is an agreement for the world. It will bring relief for developing countries on the edge of bankruptcy, and the most vulnerable people on the edge of famine, and to help stabilise global food prices.
The signing ceremony for a grain export deal between Russia and Ukraine is starting in Istanbul.
The Sky News correspondent Alex Rossi, being interviewed from Dnipro in Ukraine, has described the deal that we are expecting to see signed this afternoon as “an extraordinary piece of diplomacy” by Turkey, but he offered a slightly pessimistic view of the possible success. He told viewers:
Remember that Ukraine and Russia are currently locked in a fratricidal conflict with each other. They’re still trading blows. This is an extremely hot war that’s being fought here in Ukraine.
This deal is desperately needed to be done. But I suppose a caveat, a word of warning to this, even if it is signed, that’s one thing. But putting it into practice is something else. Because of course, there’s a great deal of suspicion between the two parties, and it could break down very easily.
It is called the Black Sea initiative. But perhaps a better and easier way to really think about it as a very focused ceasefire at sea, because that is effectively what it is.
Russia at the moment has a naval blockade on the Black Sea. Ukraine has mined the area around its ports to stop Russia from launching an amphibious assault.
So from the Ukrainian point of view, they are not going to take out those mines. But what they’re going to do is pilot ships carrying grain through safe passages. And the Russians are going to agree not to fire on those vessels.
He suggested that the UN hoped it could see grain moving within 10 days.
Empty ships returning to the ports will be inspected, as, he explained, it is a Russian fear that the vessels could be used to secretly import “very sophisticated weaponry” that could be used against it.
Here are some of the latest images to be sent to us from Ukraine over the newswires.
We are expecting the grain export deal brokered by Turkey between Russia and Ukraine to be signed in Istanbul shortly. Currently there is a room set up for the ceremony, but it is yet to start.
Local officials reported two schools in the eastern Donetsk region – one in Kramatorsk and one in the nearby town of Kostiantynivka – were hit in the early hours of Thursday. Here is footage of the scene at the school in Kramatorsk.
Russia’s ministry of defence, without presenting any evidence, earlier claimed that it killed “up to 300 nationalists” in a strike on a school in Kramatorsk.
Updated
The US believes that Russia’s military is sustaining hundreds of casualties a day in its war in Ukraine, and has lost thousands of lieutenants and captains in total, a senior US defence official said on Friday.
The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Reuters that the US also believed Ukraine had destroyed more than 100 “high-value” Russian targets inside Ukraine, including command posts, ammunition depots and air-defence sites.
The US estimates that Russian casualties in Ukraine so far have reached about 15,000 killed and perhaps 45,000 wounded, CIA director William Burns said on Wednesday, adding that Ukraine has also endured significant casualties.
The Kyiv Independent claimed on Friday that Russia had so far lost approximately 39,000 troops since it invaded Ukraine, citing “indicative estimates of Ukraine’s armed forces”.
These are the indicative estimates of Russia’s combat losses as of July 22, according to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/Vnrggm9ak6
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) July 22, 2022
Russia treats military deaths as state secrets and has not updated its official casualty figures frequently during the war. On 25 March, it said 1,351 Russian soldiers had been killed.
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Ukraine and Russia poised to agree grain deal shortly, Turkish president says
Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the UN are expected to sign the grain export deal at 1430 BST in Istanbul on Friday.
“Shortly, signatures will be put down with the participation of Russia, Ukraine and the UN secretary general, overcoming problems on the grain issue, and we will give the world good news then,” Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said at an event in Istanbul.
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Japan has warned of the potentially long-lasting impact of the war in Ukraine on the Indo-Pacific region in its annual defence white paper, released on Friday.
Japan is drawing parallels between the developments in Ukraine and China and its plans for self-ruled Taiwan, with prime minister Fumio Kishida warning repeatedly that “Ukraine today may be east Asia tomorrow”, the Japan Times reports.
The report calls Russia’s war on Ukraine a “serious violation of international law” and raises “concerns that the effects of such unilateral changes to the status quo by force may extend to the Indo-Pacific region”.
“If Russia’s aggression is tolerated, it may give the wrong impression that unilateral changes in the status quo are allowed in other regions, including Asia,” the white paper said.
“The international community, including Japan, must not tolerate such aggression.”
China, Russia and North Korea dominate Japan’s security concerns in the 500-page report, according to AP.
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The foreign minister of Moldova’s separatist Transnistria region bordering Ukraine said on Friday that it is committed to achieving independence and possible unification with Russia, and that Moldova’s becoming a candidate for European Union membership effectively ends any possibility of cooperation.
Transnistria has hosted a contingent of Russian peacekeeping forces since 1992.
Analysts believe that Putin endeavours to take control of the territory of about 470,000 people.
In June, the EU granted Moldova candidate status, with full bloc membership conditional on reforms such as tackling corruption and strengthening rule of law.
Vitaly Ignatyev, the unrecognised government’s foreign minister, told a news conference in Moscow that Transnistria will pursue the goals determined in a 2006 referendum, the Associated Press reports.
He said:
The independent development of Transnistria and the subsequent free entry into the Russian Federation […] The subsequent free accession to Russia is a process that probably requires significant decisions, political preparation and much more.
The main priority, obviously, is independence.
Having received the status of a candidate for EU membership, Moldova has thus crossed a certain Rubicon.
It put an end to the issue of building political relations within certain common spaces, because this decision was made solely by the Moldovan leadership, it was not taken collectively. Moreover, no one can speak for us.
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Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Friday that Ukraine would not sign any documents with Russia as part of the expected grain export deal, but that Ukraine and Russia would instead sign parallel agreements on grain exports with the UN.
Podolyak added that any “provocations” by Russia over the deal will be met with a military response.
He said on Twitter:
1. Ukraine does not sign any documents with Russia. We sign an agreement with Turkey and the UN and undertake obligations to them. Russia signs a mirror agreement with Turkey and the UN.
2. No escorting of transport by Russian ships and the presence of Russian representatives in our ports. In case of provocations, an immediate military response.
3. All inspections of transport ships will be carried out by joint teams in Turkish waters should the need arise.
Italy will keep sending arms to Ukraine and back Kyiv in its war against Russia if the conservative bloc wins a forthcoming national election, the head of the most popular party in the alliance has said.
The far-right Brothers of Italy, led by Giorgia Meloni, has been one of the few Italian parties that has endorsed now-ex-prime minister Mario Draghi’s decision to send weapons to Ukraine, even though it was in opposition to his government, Reuters reports.
By contrast, Meloni’s two main allies, the League and Forza Italia, which were both in Draghi’s coalition, have been much more ambivalent, reflecting their historically close ties with Russian president Vladimir Putin.
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Key event
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The Independent’s Bel Trew has compiled an informative thread explaining why today’s anticipated grain export deal is so important, but also why there is scepticism surrounding its effectiveness, and has interviewed farmers from different parts of Ukraine about the war’s impact on Ukrainian harvests and food exports 400 million people globally rely on.
Some excerpts below:
The war in Ukraine threatens to unleash an “unprecedented wave” of global hunger & destitution according to the UN. I travelled to Donbas, Kharkiv, Dnipro& Kyiv to meet farmers trying to harvest under shelling, missile fire & recent Russian occupation (🧵)https://t.co/7jxyEAGVqd
— Bel Trew (@Beltrew) July 22, 2022
3. They all said even if they can harvest in this nightmare with mined fields, destroyed equipment & under fire, they can’t store their grains or sell them for export as Ukraine’s ports remain blocked. A deal may be signed today but Ukrainians are sceptical it will be implemented
— Bel Trew (@Beltrew) July 22, 2022
6. Agriculture ministry told me nearly a quarter of Ukraine’s agricultural lands are unusable as they’re active frontlines,occupied or covered in mines, unexploded bombs. I spoke to one of Ukraine’s largest agrarian holdings: they’ve lost 70% of their fields,100s of staff missing
— Bel Trew (@Beltrew) July 22, 2022
8. Ukraine agriculture ministry told me Ukraine may lose 3 harvests causing worldwide hunger, triggering conflict& migration. “We cannot sell last year’s harvest. This year’s harvest: forget selling it, we cannot even store it. Next harvest won’t happen with no incentive to sow”
— Bel Trew (@Beltrew) July 22, 2022
Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu will be in Istanbul on Friday to sign a UN-backed deal with Ukraine over grain exports, the Kremlin said.
In a call with reporters on Friday, Vladimir Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said:
Yes, we can confirm that defence minister Shoigu has gone to Turkey. We can confirm that an agreement is being prepared today.
The Russian rouble tumbled to 58 against the dollar on Friday, ahead of the central bank’s rate-setting meeting where it is expected to deliver the fourth cut so far this year.
The rouble has become the world’s best-performing currency so far this year, Reuters reports, boosted by measures such as restricting Russian households from withdrawing foreign currency savings.
Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, the rouble traded at near 80 to the dollar and 85 to the euro.
Reuters reports:
The rouble’s strength has concerned officials as it dents Russia’s income from exports of commodities and other goods priced in dollars and euros.
To ease upside pressure on the currency, Russia relaxed some capital controls this week, allowing banks from designated “unfriendly countries” to trade between foreign currencies on the Russian forex markets.
The central bank, which supports the idea of a free-floating rouble, can further ease upside pressure on the currency in the long run by cutting rates later on Friday and thus trimming yields of rouble-denominated bonds.
“The Bank of Russia is likely to cut the key rate from the current level of 9.5%, which should have a positive effect on the stock and bond markets,” BCS Global Markets said in a note.
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Ukrainian emergency workers have recovered three bodies from a school hit by a Russian strike in Kramatorsk, officials said on Friday.
Earlier reports from the Ukrainian side had said one body had been found, while Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov claimed that the strike had killed more than 300 Ukrainian troops that had been based at the school.
Ukraine’s state emergencies agency said it has completed work at the school, the Associated Press reports.
I’m Jedidajah Otte and taking over now for the next few hours.
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Summary of the day so far …
- Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the UN secretary general, António Guterres, will sign a deal later today to resume Ukraine’s Black Sea grain exports, the Turkish president’s office has said. On Thursday night, the office of the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said a general agreement was reached on a UN-led plan during talks in Istanbul last week and that it would be put in writing by the parties. The details of the agreement were not immediately known. It is due to be signed later today at the Dolmabahce Palace offices at 14.30 GMT, Erdoğan’s office said.
- The US said it would hold Russia accountable for implementing the deal. A state department spokesperson, Ned Price, accused Russia of weaponising food, saying: “What will really matter is the implementation of this agreement. We will, of course, continue to work with our partners to hold Russia accountable for its implementation.”
- Google is to be banned in the occupied Donetsk region of Ukraine for allegedly promoting “terrorism and violence against all Russians”. Denis Pushilin, head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), said “We have decided to block Google on the territory of the DPR. This is what they do in any society with criminals: they are isolated from other people. If Google stops pursuing its criminal policy and returns to the mainstream of law, morality and common sense, there will be no obstacles for its work.”
- The Russian ministry of defence has claimed, without providing any evidence, that it killed “up to 300 nationalists” in a strike on a school building in Kramatorsk yesterday. The ministry also said that in the period from 5-20 July it had destroyed four launchers and one transport-loading vehicle of the US-supplied Himars missile system. It also claims to have shot down 12 Ukrainian drones.
- Ukraine has the potential to inflict major losses on Russia and make gains on the battlefield, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has claimed. Speaking in a late-night video address after meeting with senior military commanders, he said the group discussed the supply of modern weapons, adding the intensity of attacks on the Russians had to be stepped up.
- The UK’s Ministry of Defence has said it believes that Russia is experiencing a “critical shortage” of ground-attack missiles, even as it advances on Kramatorsk and Siversk.
- The Russian government has expanded its list of “unfriendly states” which now includes 48 countries. The list now includes Greece, Denmark, Slovenia, Croatia and Slovakia.
- Britain will send scores of artillery guns and more than 1,600 anti-tank weapons to Ukraine, the UK defence secretary, Ben Wallace, said on Thursday. He said Britain would also provide counter-battery radar systems, hundreds of drones and more than 50,000 rounds of ammunition.
- Ukraine has called for an international tribunal to bring Vladimir Putin to justice more quickly. Trying Russia separately for the act of aggression, with international participation, would speed up its quest to hold the Russian president and his inner circle accountable, officials said. “We hope to have the indictment within three months,” Andriy Smyrnov, Ukraine’s deputy head of the presidential administration, said.
- The Belarus president, Alexander Lukashenko, said the war must be stopped in order to avoid the “abyss of nuclear war” and insisted Ukraine accept Russia’s demands. “There’s no need to go further. Further lies the abyss of nuclear war,” he told AFP. Lukashenko also accused the west of seeking a conflict with Russia and of provoking the war. “If Russia had not got ahead of you, members of Nato, you would have organised and struck a blow against it,” he said.
That is it from me, Martin Belam, in London. I will be back later on. Jedidajah Otte will be here shortly to continue our live coverage.
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Ukraine’s state emergency services has posted to Telegram to say that in the course of the war so far, nearly 165,000 munitions have been neutralised.
It said that yesterday pyrotechnic units were involved in 125 operations, and 784 explosive objects were identified and removed. It posted an image of one of the members of the demining teams donning protective gear.
Russia claims to have killed 'up to 300' service personnel in Kramatorsk school strike
The Russian ministry of defence has claimed that it killed “up to 300 nationalists” in a strike on a school building in Kramatorsk.
In its daily operation briefing, the ministry said, without providing any evidence:
As a result of a strike with ground-based precision weapons, the temporary deployment point of the Black Hundred nationalist formation deployed in the building of school No. 23 in the city of Kramatorsk was destroyed. Eliminated up to three hundred nationalists and over 40 units of special equipment.
The ministry also said that in the period from 5-20 July it had destroyed four launchers and one transport-loading vehicle of the US-supplied Himars missile system. It also claims to have shot down 12 Ukrainian drones.
None of the claims from the Russian ministry of defence have been independently verified.
Images from the scene of yesterday’s strike on the school in Kramatorsk showed bystanders looking at the wreckage as it was cleared.
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Google to be banned in occupied Donetsk by pro-Russian regime
Google is to be banned in the occupied Donetsk region of Ukraine for allegedly promoting “terrorism and violence against all Russians”.
Denis Pushilin, head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), posted to Telegram to say:
The inhuman propaganda of Ukraine and the west has long crossed all boundaries. There is a real persecution of Russians, the imposition of lies and disinformation.
At the forefront of information technology in this regard is the Google search engine, which openly, on the orders of its curators from the US government, promotes terrorism and violence against all Russians, and especially the population of Donbas.
It didn’t start yesterday. I think that this situation should no longer be put up with. We have decided to block Google on the territory of the DPR. This is what they do in any society with criminals: they are isolated from other people.
If Google stops pursuing its criminal policy and returns to the mainstream of law, morality and common sense, there will be no obstacles for its work.
Russia, Syria and North Korea are the only UN member states to recognise the DPR as a legitimate authority.
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The Russian government has issued a statement this morning saying it has expanded its list of “unfriendly states”. Posting an order dated 20 July, the statement says:
The government has updated the list of foreign states that commit unfriendly actions against Russian diplomatic and consular missions abroad. The list includes Greece, Denmark, Slovenia, Croatia and Slovakia.
The list approved by the government, in addition to the names of countries, indicates the number of individuals located on the territory of Russia with whom diplomatic missions of unfriendly countries and their consular offices can enter into employment contracts. So, according to the new order, Greece has a limit of 34 people, Denmark 20, Slovakia 16. Slovenia and Croatia will not be able to hire employees in their diplomatic missions and consular offices.
The list approved by the government is not final and, taking into account the ongoing hostile actions of foreign states directed against Russian missions abroad, may be expanded.
The list has 48 countries on it in total, including Australia, Canada, Great Britain, New Zealand, all EU member states and the US.
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Tensions have increased in the breakaway Transnistria region of Moldova in recent days, as yesterday marked the thirtieth anniversary of the signing of a peace accord that helped bring about the current status quo, where Transnistria is its own de facto unrecognised state, with a Russia garrison stationed there.
Earlier this week, there was a dispute between Chișinău and Moscow, after the Moldovans stopped Russian military officials at the border.
Today, Russia RIA Novosti is carrying an interview with the breakaway region’s foreign minister, Vitaly Ignatiev, in which he says Transnistria intends to join the Russian Federation. It quotes him saying:
The vector of Transnistria has remained unchanged throughout the years of the republic’s existence, which is reflected in the results of the referendum on 17 September 2006, where it is clearly indicated: independence with subsequent free accession to the Russian Federation. The independence of the country is an absolute priority.
Were Transnistria to accede to Russia, that would place a Russian exclave on Ukraine’s western border, next to the Odesa oblast. Earlier in the current conflict, Transnistria claimed it was being fired upon from Ukrainian territory, and explosions damaged radio transmitters inside Transnistria.
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Steve Gutterman has written interesting piece for Radio Free Europe today, in which he sets out the territorial ambitions that Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov expressed this week. Gutterman writes:
Putin and his government appeared to be eager for control over a broad swath of eastern and southern Ukraine that officials, state media, and pro-Kremlin pundits increasingly referred to as Novorossia.
That’s certainly how Lavrov made it sound on 20 July, when he told state media outlets that the geographical objectives of Russia’s war in Ukraine now go beyond the Donbas, encompassing the Kherson and Zaporizhzhya regions to the southwest “and a number of other territories”.
While Lavrov was by far the highest official to make such a statement, he was stating the obvious. Russia already controls parts of those two additional regions, including Kherson’s eponymous capital, giving it a coveted “land bridge” from the Russian border to Crimea.
Moreover, there have been plenty of signals that Moscow wants to control all of Ukraine’s Black Sea coast, including Odesa, up to the border with Moldova – and specifically its breakaway Transnistria region.
Of course, it would be foolish to assume that Lavrov’s description of what the Kremlin now wants is honest. After all, this is the same Lavrov who stated repeatedly last winter that Russia would not invade Ukraine – and then, once it had invaded, said repeatedly that it had not. But it seems likely to mean that Putin believes this is something he can get.
Read more here: Radio Free Europe – The Week In Russia: ‘Divorced From Reality’
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The self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic has issued casualty figures for the past 24 hours, claiming that one person was killed and seven injured in the territory it occupies. It claims this was the result of Ukrainian shelling. The claims have not been independently verified. The Donetsk People’s Republic is only recognised as a legitimate authority by three UN member states.
Pavlo Kyrylenko, Ukraine’s governor of Donetsk, has said that five civilians were killed in the region on 21 July, and that a further 10 people were injured. Posting to Telegram, he said three of the deaths occurred in Siversk.
In a subsequent message, he gave a total civilian casualty figure for the region since Russia’s latest invasion of Ukraine began, saying:
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, 637 civilians have been killed and another 1,641 injured as a result of shelling and bombing in Donetsk region. The number of Russian victims in Mariupol and Volnovakha is currently unknown.
None of the claims have been independently verified.
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Serhai Haidai, Ukraine’s governor of Luhansk, has posted to Telegram to say: “The Russians are throwing all their reserves into battle. Over the past day, almost every village and city where the enemy’s weapons can currently reach has been shelled with barrel and rocket artillery.”
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Here are some of the latest images that have been sent to us over the newswires from Ukraine.
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The UK’s Ministry of Defence has said it believes that Russia is experiencing a “critical shortage” of ground-attack missiles, even as it advances on Kramatorsk and Siversk.
In its daily intelligence briefing, it writes:
In the Donbas, Ukrainian forces continue to repel Russian attempts to assault the Vuhlehirsk power plant. Russian artillery remains focused on areas around the cities of Kramatorsk and Siversk.
Russia has increased its use of air defence missiles in a secondary ground attack mode because of critical shortages of dedicated ground-attack missiles.
Russian has almost certainly deployed S-300 and S-400 strategic air defence systems, designed to shoot down aircraft and missiles at long ranges, near Ukraine from the start of invasion.
These weapons have relatively small warheads, designed to destroy aircraft. They could pose a significant threat against troops in the open and light buildings but are unlikely to penetrate hardened structures.
There is a high chance of these weapons missing their intended targets and causing civilian casualties because the missiles they are not optimised for this role, and their crews will have little training for such missions.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 22 July 2022
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) July 22, 2022
Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/dzM1pWtGbD
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/36GGbx7Tfu
- This is Martin Belam here in London taking over from my colleague Samantha Lock. You can contact me at martin.belam@theguardian.com
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Here is a little more detail on the grain export deal reportedly going ahead later today.
A statement on the website of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, which was published late on Thursday, reads:
The signing ceremony of the grain shipment agreement will be held at the Dolmabahçe Office in in Istanbul at 16.30 tomorrow with the participation of the Ukrainian and Russian sides, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Ukrainian and Russian sides, President Erdoğan and UN Secretary-General Guterres will be present at the Grain Shipment Agreement signing ceremony to be held in Istanbul tomorrow.”
Zelenskiy hails potential to inflict ‘significant new losses’ on Moscow’s forces
Ukraine has the potential to inflict major losses on Russia and make gains on the battlefield, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy claims.
Speaking in a late-night video address after meeting with senior military commanders, he said the group discussed the supply of modern weapons, adding the intensity of attacks on the Russians had to be stepped up.
We discussed the current situation on the frontline, around Ukraine. We defined tasks in some tactical areas to strengthen our positions. And we also thoroughly worked out the issue of providing the troops with the modern weapons – the intensity of attacks on the enemy still needs to be increased.
The participants of the staff meeting agreed that we have a significant potential for the advance of our forces on the front and for the infliction of significant new losses on the occupiers.”
Kyiv hopes that western weapons, especially longer-range missiles such as US Himars that Ukraine has deployed in recent weeks, will allow it to launch a counterattack and recapture territory.
“Every one of these Russian attacks is an argument for Ukraine to receive more Himars and other modern and effective weapons. Every one of these attacks only strengthens our desire to defeat the invaders and that will certainly happen.”
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Russia will support Africa to “complete the process of decolonisation”, its foreign minister has said.
In statements released by Russia’s ministry of foreign affairs, Sergei Lavrov said Russia has always supported Africans “in their struggle for liberation from colonial oppression”.
“We stand in solidarity with the demands to complete the process of decolonisation,” he added.
✍️ FM Sergey #Lavrov in an article for African media: Russia has always supported Africans in their struggle for liberation from colonial oppression
— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) July 22, 2022
We stand in solidarity with the demands to complete the process of decolonization.
🔗 https://t.co/HjCtz0mmEW pic.twitter.com/MabeCX7Xmz
Deal to restart grain exports in Black Sea to be signed
Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the UN secretary general, António Guterres, will sign a deal later today to resume Ukraine’s Black Sea grain exports, the Turkish president’s office has said.
On Thursday night, the office of the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said a general agreement was reached on a UN-led plan during talks in Istanbul last week and that it would now be put in writing by the parties. The details of the agreement were not immediately known. It is due to be signed later today at the Dolmabahce Palace offices at 14.30 GMT, Erdoğan’s office said.
Before last week’s talks, diplomats said details of the plan included Ukrainian vessels guiding grain ships in and out through mined port waters; Russia agreeing to a truce while shipments move; and Turkey – supported by the United Nations – inspecting ships to allay Russian fears of weapon smuggling.
The UN and Turkey have been working for two months to broker what Guterres called a “package” deal – to resume Ukraine’s Black Sea grain exports and facilitate Russian grain and fertiliser shipments.
Ukraine appeared to sound a note of caution over the deal on Thursday night. Ukraine’s foreign ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko told Reuters:
In summary, a document may be signed which will bind the sides to (ensure) safe functioning of export routes in the Black Sea.”
Nikolenko said the Ukrainian delegation at the talks would only support decisions that would guarantee the safety of Ukraine’s southern regions, “strong positions” of Ukraine’s armed forces in the Black Sea, and safe exports of Ukrainian agricultural produce.
Summary and welcome
Hello and welcome back to the Guardian’s live coverage of the war in Ukraine.
I’m Samantha Lock and I will be bringing you all the latest developments for the next short while.
It is 8am in Kyiv and here is where things stand:
- A deal to resume Ukraine’s Black Sea grain exports is expected to be signed by Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations on Friday. The agreement will be put in writing by the parties and signed at the Dolmabahce Palace offices at 1.30pm GMT, the office of the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said. Ukraine’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Oleg Nikolenko, added: “In summary, a document may be signed which will bind the sides to [ensure] safe functioning of export routes in the Black Sea.”
- The US said it would hold Russia accountable for implementing the deal. A state department spokesperson, Ned Price, accused Russia of weaponising food, saying: “What will really matter is the implementation of this agreement. We will, of course, continue to work with our partners to hold Russia accountable for its implementation.”
- Russia is “about to run out of steam” and take an operational pause, offering Ukraine the chance to strike back, the head of UK intelligence said. “I think our assessment is that the Russians will increasingly find it difficult to supply manpower material over the next few weeks,” said Richard Moore, the MI6 chief. “They will have to pause in some way, and that will give the Ukrainians opportunities to strike back.” Moore also said half of all the Russian spies operating under diplomatic cover around Europe, totalling about 400, had been expelled since the start of the war in Ukraine.
- Germany’s economics minister announced a new wave of emergency measures to cut the country’s consumption of gas after flows from Russia through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline resumed at reduced levels following a scheduled shutdown.
- An EU proposal that member countries cut gas use by 15% to prepare for possible supply cuts from Russia is facing resistance from governments, throwing into doubt whether they will approve the emergency plan.
- Britain will send scores of artillery guns and more than 1,600 anti-tank weapons to Ukraine, the UK defence secretary, Ben Wallace, said on Thursday. He said Britain would also provide counter-battery radar systems, hundreds of drones and more than 50,000 rounds of ammunition.
- Ukraine has called for an international tribunal to bring Vladimir Putin to justice more quickly. Trying Russia separately for the act of aggression, with international participation, would speed up its quest to hold the Russian president and his inner circle accountable, officials said. “We hope to have the indictment within three months,” Andriy Smyrnov, Ukraine’s deputy head of the presidential administration, said.
- The Belarus president, Alexander Lukashenko, said the war must be stopped in order to avoid the “abyss of nuclear war” and insisted Ukraine accept Russia’s demands. “There’s no need to go further. Further lies the abyss of nuclear war,” he told AFP. Lukashenko also accused the west of seeking a conflict with Russia and of provoking the war. “If Russia had not got ahead of you, members of Nato, you would have organised and struck a blow against it,” he said.
- Russian proxies in the Russian-occupied territory of Donbas have been confiscating documents from forcibly mobilised troops, according to Ukrainian military chiefs. Russian proxies have reportedly been stripping personal documents from residents in attempts to force them to fight against Ukraine and making it impossible for forcibly mobilised troops to desert or identify those who have been killed, the general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said.
- The UK National Crime Agency has called for more funding to tackle Russian kleptocracy. The NCA said the UK had been slower to seize sanctioned Russian oligarchs’ assets than the US because it could not rely on the same “substantial level of investment” that Washington had poured into tackling international corruption and sanctions-busting.
- What could be a priceless Fabergé egg has been found onboard a Russian oligarch’s superyacht seized by US authorities. US deputy attorney general Lisa Monaco told the Aspen security forum on Wednesday it was one of the more “interesting” finds her team had made.
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