Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on the international community to take immediate steps to end Russia’s blockade of his country’s ports in order to allow wheat supplies and prevent a global food crisis.
The Black Sea export port of Odessa was hit by missiles on Monday. Zelenski said: “For the first time in decades, there is no normal movement of the merchant navy, there is no normally functioning port in Odessa. This probably did not happen in Odessa after the Second World War.
“Without our agricultural exports, dozens of countries in different parts of the world are already on the brink of food shortages. And over time, the situation could become terrible … This is a direct consequence of Russian aggression, which can only be overcome together – by all Europeans, by the whole free world. It can be overcome by putting pressure on Russia, effectively forcing Russia to stop this shameful war.
Charles Michel, president of the European Council, visited Odessa on Monday and said he had seen silos full of grain, wheat and corn that could not be exported. “This much-needed food has been blocked due to the Russian war and the blockade of Black Sea ports. It has dramatic consequences for vulnerable countries. We need a global response. “
In the United States, congressional Democrats reportedly agreed to provide another $ 39.8 billion in additional aid to Ukraine on Tuesday, surpassing President Joe Biden’s request last month by $ 33 billion, including more than $ 20 billion in military aid. Senate leaders were ready to take swift action to implement the new proposal, reports said, which includes an additional $ 3.4 billion in military aid and $ 3.4 billion in humanitarian aid.
Biden said: “This assistance has been crucial to Ukraine’s success on the battlefield. We cannot allow our aid shipments to stop while we wait for further action by Congress.
A bill Biden signed on Monday allows for faster delivery of military equipment to Ukraine. Before signing the bill, Biden said that “Putin’s war” was “again bringing meaningless destruction to Europe”, referring to the significance of Victory Day.
“It really matters,” Biden said of bipartisan support for Ukraine. One of the main Republican sponsors of the bill, Sen. John Cornin of Texas, said: “I am pleased that America can act as an arsenal of democracy for this critical partner.
On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin used Victory Day in Europe – the anniversary of Germany’s unconditional surrender in 1945 and Russia’s biggest patriotic holiday – to unite his people behind the invasion. The White House dismissed Putin’s speech as a “revisionist story” and said his assumption that Western aggression had led to the war in Ukraine was “clearly absurd.”
In Poland, the Russian ambassador was targeted with red paint by anti-war protesters as he went to lay flowers at a Soviet military cemetery in Warsaw.
Russia’s ambassador is flooded with red anti-war protesters in Poland – video
In another step forward in building pressure on Russia, EU High Representative Ursula von der Leyen said she had made “progress” on the proposed Russian oil embargo during talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, one of Putin’s closest friends. in Europe, which is holding back the EU’s attempts to phase out Russian oil.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron has poured cold water on Ukraine’s desire for quick EU membership, saying it could take “decades”. Macron has proposed building a broader political bloc, which could include Britain.
On the spot in Ukraine, the governor of Luhansk reported “very serious battles” in the front areas of Belogorovka and Rubezhne.
In Mariupol – where it was speculated that Putin was in full control until Victory Day – a small contingent of depleted Ukrainian forces continued to defend the last bastion at the Azovstal steel plant.
Ukraine’s defense ministry says Russian forces, backed by tanks and artillery, are conducting “assault operations” at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, where the city’s last defenders are hiding.
Full control of Mariupol will allow Moscow to build a land bridge between the Crimean peninsula, which it annexed in 2014, and the eastern regions ruled by pro-Russian separatists.
In Odessa, one person was killed and five were injured when seven rockets hit a shopping mall and depot, the Ukrainian Armed Forces said. The sirens sounded when the rockets interrupted a meeting between European Council President Charles Michel, who was visiting Odessa, and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmihal, forcing them into a bomb shelter.
In other developments:
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The United States cites “anecdotal reports” that some Russian troops in Ukraine are not following orders. “Middle-ranking officers at various levels, even up to the battalion level,” refused to move forward in the Donbass offensive.
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The UN Human Rights Council is due to hold a special session Thursday to address alleged Russian human rights abuses during the war in Ukraine. More than 50 countries, including Britain, Germany, Turkey and the United States, have backed Ukraine’s request and called for an extraordinary meeting of the UN’s high-level human rights body.
With Reuters, AFP and the Associated Press
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