Live blog: Zelenskyy hails Erdogan for saving Black Sea grain deal

Wednesday, November 2, 2022

Zelenskyy praises Erdogan over grain deal resumption 

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has thanked his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his role in saving a landmark Black Sea grain export deal after Russia suspended its participation.

In a telephone call, Zelenskyy "thanked (Erdogan) for his active participation in preserving the grain deal", he wrote on Twitter following Turkish efforts to revive the July agreement which has played a crucial role in easing a global food crisis sparked by the Russian offensive in Ukraine.

Russia fails at UN in bid for Ukraine, US bioweapons inquiry

Russia has failed to get the United Nations Security Council to establish a formal inquiry into its accusation that the United States and Ukraine have biological weapons programmes in Ukraine, a claim that Washington and Kiev deny.

Russia: Avoiding nuclear clash is priority

Russia has said that avoiding a nuclear clash between the world's nuclear powers was its first priority, but accused the West of "encouraging provocations with weapons of mass destruction".

Western capitals have said Moscow is behind a ramping up of nuclear rhetoric since Russia attacked Ukraine in February - most recently by repeatedly accusing Kiev of planning to use a radioactive "dirty bomb" without offering evidence. Kiev has denied having any such plan.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said it feared the five declared nuclear powers were teetering "on the brink of a direct armed conflict" and that the West must stop "encouraging provocations with weapons of mass destruction, which can lead to catastrophic consequences". 

North Korea supplying Russia with artillery shells: White House

The United States has information that indicates North Korea is covertly supplying Russia with a "significant" number of artillery shells for its war in Ukraine, White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby said.

Kirby told a virtual briefing that North Korea was attempting to obscure the shipments by funnelling them through countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

"Our indications are that the DPRK is covertly supplying and we are going to monitor to see whether the shipments are received," Kirby said, adding that Washington would consult with the United Nations on accountability issues over the shipments. 

Russia will not obstruct future grain supplies from Ukraine to Türkiye 'in any case'

Moscow would not hinder grain supplies from Ukraine to Türkiye in the future due to Ankara’s “neutrality,” capabilities of its grain processing industry and the Turkish president’s efforts aimed at ensuring the interests of the poorest countries, the Russian leader said.

"We will not hinder in the future, in any case, the supply of grain from the territory of Ukraine to the Republic of Türkiye, (considering) Türkiye's neutrality in the conflict as a whole … the possibilities of the grain processing industry of the Republic of Türkiye and the efforts of President (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan aimed at ensuring the interests of the poorest countries," he said. 

Ukraine grateful to Türkiye, UN over Russia's decision on grain deal

Senior Ukrainian officials expressed gratitude to Türkiye and the United Nations for their roles in Russia's decision to resume its participation in a deal to free up grain exports from Ukraine.

A senior official who declined to be identified told Reuters that Moscow's decision was mainly a result of Turkish pressure on Russia. Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov separately expressed gratitude for the roles played by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. 

US thanks Türkiye over resumption of Ankara-brokered grain deal

In a phone call with the Turkish foreign minister, the US secretary of state thanked Türkiye over the resumption of the Ankara-brokered Black Sea grain deal.

According to a statement by the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Mevlut Cavusoglu and Antony Blinken discussed the latest developments in Ukraine, especially grain shipments via the Black Sea corridor.

The top Turkish diplomat informed his counterpart about the initiatives taken by Ankara to ensure that the grain deal is being implemented smoothly.

UN chief 'welcomes' Russia decision to rejoin Ukraine grain deal

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "warmly welcomes" Russia's return to an agreement allowing the export of grain from Ukrainian ports, his spokesman said in a statement.

Guterres "continues his engagement with all actors towards the renewal and full implementation of the Initiative, and he also remains committed to removing the remaining obstacles to the exports of Russian food and fertiliser," added spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.

Spain's foreign minister visits Kiev, vows to support Ukraine's reconstruction

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares travelled to Kiev and pledged that Spain will help rebuild Ukraine.

“I was moved by the destruction that we’ve seen today in Kiev and in the town of Makariv,” tweeted Albares, who toured several areas of the Ukrainian capital destroyed by Russian forces.

“Spain will contribute to rebuilding Ukraine’s infrastructure, culture and heritage.”

Ukraine's biggest mistake is not building strong security position: Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country's biggest mistake in the past 30 years was not building a strong security position.

In an interview with Czech television, Zelenskyy said: "For the past 30 years, I believe we have not built a strong security position. And we did not expect Russia to take such aggressive steps, war steps, and bloody steps. This, I think, is the biggest mistake of our policy."

Air raid alarm announced in central, eastern Ukraine

Air raid alarms have been announced in several regions in central and eastern Ukraine due to the threat of missile attacks, local authorities said.

Officials from the Poltava, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhya, and Dnipropetrovsk regions said there is a strong possibility of Russian airstrikes, urging civilians to take shelter.

The alerts are issued by local authorities in Ukraine almost on a daily basis due to possible missile and drone strikes which have recently targeted civilian and energy infrastructures.

Cambodia ready to dispatch de-miners to war-torn Ukraine

Cambodia is ready to dispatch de-miners to war-torn Ukraine, the Southeast Asian nation’s prime minister said.

“Cambodia is ready to dispatch de-miners to help train Ukraine’s de-miners,” Hun Sen told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a phone call on Tuesday evening.

A statement by the Cambodian Foreign Ministry said Sen expressed concern over the recent attacks by the Russian military on the Ukrainian capital Kiev and other regions, which caused many deaths, injuries, and severe damage to civilian infrastructure, leading to power outages and water shortages.

Recalling how Cambodians had suffered in the past, Sen said: “War cannot be ended by war.”

Ukrainians face power outages in multiple regions due to Russian attacks

Ukraine’s sole power grid operator has announced that power outages were implemented in multiple regions as it prepares to stabilize the energy supply damaged by recent Russian drone and missile attacks.

Ukrenergo said in a statement that people in the capital Kiev, as well as Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Zhytomyr, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Poltava regions were without power as of 6 a.m. local time.

Consumption restrictions are necessary to reduce the load on the grid, ensure sustainable balancing of the power grid and avoid repeated accidents, it added.

Türkiye, Russia defence ministers hold grain deal talks

Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar has said that he believed the Black Sea grain deal that Russia suspended over the weekend would continue, after two phone calls in as many days with his Russian counterpart.

"Mr. (Sergei) Shoigu continues to discuss the issue with his own authorities in the light of the information we have provided. We expect a response from them today and tomorrow," Akar said in a statement.

"There is progress in this direction. We are evaluating the available information that this agreement will continue."

Zelenskyy seeks reliable defence for grain corridor

The corridor for exporting grain from Ukrainian ports needs a long-term means to defend it reliably and the world must provide a firm response to any Russian attempt to disrupt it, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.

Zelenskyy said ships were moving out of Ukrainian ports with cargoes thanks to efforts by Türkiye and the United Nations to keep the corridor open and working. "But a reliable and long-term defence is needed for the grain corridor," Zelenskyy said in his video address. 

"Russia must clearly be made aware that it will receive a tough response from the world to any steps to disrupt our food exports .... At issue here clearly are the lives of tens of millions of people."

UN expects ships to leave Ukraine ports on Thursday

The UN coordinator for the Ukraine Black Sea grain deal has said he expects loaded ships to depart Ukrainian ports on Thursday.

"Exports of grain and foodstuffs from #Ukraine️ need to continue. Although no movements of vessels are planned for 2 November under the #BlackSeaGrainInitiative, we expect loaded ships to sail on Thursday," UN coordinator Amir Abdulla posted on Twitter.

For live updates from Tuesday (November 1), click here