Future Ukrainian grain export unclear – night at a glance Russia takes over shares of Danone and Carlsberg branches by decree

It is the 510th day of the defense of Ukraine against the Russian invasion.

After the end of the grain deal, the future of Ukrainian agricultural exports via the Black Sea is unclear and exorbitant grain prices are feared. Meanwhile, more than three dozen countries that support Ukraine want to discuss military aid in the so-called Ramstein format on Tuesday.

Moscow sees bridge only slightly damaged

Due to the recent destruction of the bridge to the Crimean peninsula, Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened Ukraine with military retaliation. Unlike after the first attack on the bridge in October 2022, the Russian authorities assume that they can quickly repair the damage.

The foundation of the bridge to Crimea was not damaged by the explosions on Monday morning, Deputy Prime Minister Marat Chusnullin reported. According to Russian information, unmanned remote-controlled boats detonated explosives on the building on Monday morning. Part of the roadway has subsided, as can be seen in photos. That piece of concrete needs to be replaced, Chusnullin said. He promised that the highway bridge would be fully repaired by November.

According to the information, the parallel railway bridge is not damaged. The train service runs according to the timetable. Car traffic was also resumed on Tuesday evening – with restrictions. According to official information, ferries between the peninsula annexed in 2014 and the Russian mainland were also running again after a blockade on Monday morning.

“This is the next act of terrorism by the Kiev regime,” Putin said. “Of course there will be an answer from Russia.” The Ministry of Defense is preparing proposals. Russia had previously threatened to bomb key Ukrainian command centers if the Crimean bridge was destroyed. Ukraine considers the structure a legitimate military target. Initially, no confirmation came from Kiev that it was involved in the incident.

The grain deal expired

As the last ship from Ukraine, the Turkish freighter “TQ Samsun” was checked in the waters off Istanbul on Monday and left for the Netherlands. Then in the evening the agreement on the sea export of Ukrainian grain expired after almost a year; nothing was announced about an extension. The agreement has allowed Ukraine to sell more than 30 million tons of grain by sea to other countries since the summer of 2022, despite Russia’s war of aggression.

Internationally, Russia’s no to an extension was sharply criticized. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) spoke of a “bad message”. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was disappointed. The European Union condemned the termination: “With this decision, Russia is exacerbating the global food security crisis it caused through its war of aggression against Ukraine and its blockade of Ukrainian seaports,” foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the termination unconscionable. This would use food as a weapon.

While Ukrainian exports are initially in limbo, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov does not rule out Russia’s return to the agreement. But first the problems with the admission of Russian grain and fertilizers to the world market should be solved.

Fear of high wheat prices

Without grain from the important producer Ukraine, fears of a renewed rise in food prices are growing, especially for poor countries. Wheat prices are “still at their highest point in a decade,” said Martin Frick, director of the UN’s World Food Program in Germany, in ZDF’s “heute journal”. “But if this agreement is not extended, we can expect a price development that will cause major problems for the poorest in the world.”

Attempted Russian offensive in the East

The Ukrainian army reports intensive Russian attacks in the east of the country. The situation is difficult, said army commander Colonel General Olexander Syrskyj. In the Kupyansk area of ​​the Kharkiv region, the Russian army launched an offensive to break through Ukrainian lines. The military information could not be independently verified.

The Russian army is also sending other troops, especially airborne troops, to the city of Bakhmut, General Syrskyj reported. Their mission is to stop the reconquest of the places around Bakhmut by the Ukraine. Ukrainian troops evacuated Bakhmut themselves after months of fighting. However, in their major offensive, they advance again north and south of the city.

That will be important on Tuesday

Defense ministers of the contact group Ukraine discuss further military aid for the attacked country in a video conference. Prior to the meeting, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov thanked his American counterpart Lloyd Austin for supplying the controversial cluster munitions in a telephone conversation. Banned by many states, the ammunition releases massive amounts of small explosives. These often do not explode immediately, but remain dangerous for a long time.

Furthermore, at the end of a two-day summit between the EU and the Community of South American and Caribbean States (CELAC), the Russian offensive war against Ukraine will be discussed. With the left-wing authoritarian states of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, Moscow has three allies in the region. In addition, large South American countries such as Brazil, Mexico and Argentina are adopting a more cautious attitude than the EU. (yam/sda/dpa)