The Ministry of Foreign Affairs received clarification from the UN leadership regarding the comment of an official who told The New York Times that Russia technically did not violate the agreement on the export of Ukrainian grain by shelling the Odesa port on July 22.
The spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Oleh Nikolenko said that the position of the anonymous commentator does not reflect the position of the UN.
The spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the news in the NYT "provocative" and said that Ukrainian diplomats immediately turned to the leadership of the UN for clarification.
"Thatʼs the problem with these unnamed sources: they launched a provocative narrative, but there was no accountability. It was done intentionally or unintentionally — the question is open," Nikolenko noted.
- On July 23, the Russians attacked the Odesa Sea Trade Port with Kalibr cruise missiles. Air defense forces shot down two missiles, and two more hit the infrastructure of the port. There was grain that was being prepared for export. The rockets did not hit the grain storage, but hit the pumping station, causing a small fire. There was no significant destruction, and no casualties.
- On July 22, the Russian Federation signed agreements on the safe export of Ukrainian grain by sea.