Zelenskyj against EU grain blockade – the night update without photos Mass protests in Israel – car crashes into protesters, people fight

In view of the new Russian naval blockade against grain from his country, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on the EU to open its borders to agricultural products. The European institutions could act more sensibly than closing borders to a specific product, Zelenskyy said in his evening video message distributed in Kiev on Monday evening. The restrictions on Ukrainian grain exports that were in place until September 15 should really end on that day.

“Any extension of these restrictions is absolutely unacceptable and clearly not European,” he said. There should be no more blockade of Ukrainian exports, he also wrote in a message on his Telegram channel.

At the beginning of June, the European Commission decided to extend restrictions on grain imports from Ukraine until September 15. The five eastern EU states Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria also want to stick to the import ban after the date if the EU Commission does not come to a different solution.

Zelenskyy said he had consulted with government officials and experts on how agricultural products could be transported through EU territory again. A solution in the spirit of Europe is being worked on. Like Russia, Ukraine is one of the largest grain exporters. For example, your wheat and maize make an important contribution to global food security.

Farmers in the eastern EU countries fear that competition will lead to price drops if Ukrainian agricultural products enter the EU market. Wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seeds from Ukraine can no longer be traded freely there. However, transit of the goods to other EU countries is permitted. Ukraine, which is pursuing accession to the EU, sees a possible extension of the import ban as a “not very friendly step”.

For Ukraine, which has defended itself against Russian aggression for the past 17 months, land transport is now the only way to sell its agricultural products on the world market and generate important revenues. On Monday, Russia canceled an agreement between Turkey and the United Nations to ship Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea. The reason Moscow gave was that its demands for the EU to ease sanctions had not been met.

Zelensky cancels response to “Russian terror”.

In his video message, Zelenskyi also informed about a meeting with the country’s military leadership about the progress of the Ukrainian counter-offensive to liberate the areas occupied by Russian forces. There are regions where things are going well and others where Ukrainian forces are on the defensive. The Ukrainian leadership has recently admitted on several occasions that the offensive is progressing more slowly than desired. The reasons given are the extremely secure Russian defense lines with minefields and huge anti-tank barriers. Again, the president also spoke about the Russian missiles and drone attacks, for example on the Black Sea. More needs to be done to protect people, cities and ports. “We are preparing strong responses to Russian terrorist attacks,” he said.

Kiev again reports defense against night drone attacks

Ukrainian authorities say Russia attacked the capital Kyiv again on Tuesday evening. Ukrainian air defenses shot down all so-called kamikaze drones “with which the Russian aggressor” attacked Kiev, the city’s military administration said, according to the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform. According to initial information, there were no casualties or destruction, said the head of the service, Serhiy Popko. The air raid alarm lasted three hours. The enemy used Iranian-made Shahed drones. This is the sixth drone strike on Kiev in July.

Ukraine accuses Russia of using cluster bombs: child dead and injured

Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities accused Russia of using cluster bombs in the town of Kostyantynivka in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk oblast. On Monday evening, a child was killed, the head of the local military administration, Pavlo Kyrylenko, announced on the Telegram news channel. Seven people were injured, including four children. The cluster munitions exploded near a body of water where people were seeking relaxation.

In its war of aggression against Ukraine, Russia has repeatedly used internationally banned cluster munitions. Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin also threatened that Russia could use its arsenal of many types of these weapons in response to the US’s use of cluster munitions in Ukraine.

The cluster bombs that explode above the ground scatter projectiles over larger areas. Since many of them often do not explode immediately, they, like mines, are considered a danger to civilians even after the end of hostilities. Germany and 110 other countries have therefore banned them with an international agreement. Neither the United States, Ukraine nor Russia have signed the treaty banning cluster munitions.

IAEA experts discover mines at Zaporizhia nuclear power plant

Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency have discovered anti-personnel mines on the edge of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant site in Ukraine, which is occupied by Russian troops. During an inspection on Sunday, the specialists found some mines in a buffer zone between the facility’s inner and outer barriers, IAEA director Rafael Grossi said Monday evening. “The fact that such explosives are on site violates IAEA safety standards and nuclear safety guidelines.” However, it is believed that the detonation of these mines will not affect the nuclear safety and security systems of the plant.

What will be important on Tuesday

Ukraine wants to continue its efforts to ensure that the grain corridor in the Black Sea can still be used. Russia had warned not to treat all ships entering Ukrainian ports as military cargo and not to take any action against them. In addition, the Kiev counter-offensive continues. (saw/sda/dpa)