If the Group of Seven decides to ban exports to Russia, Russian officials have threatened to terminate the Black Sea grain deal, which is regarded as essential to alleviating the global hunger crisis.
This prohibition could be part of the ever-changing set of sanctions the allies have imposed on Moscow for its involvement in the Ukraine conflict.
Ukraine supplies approximately 45 million metric tonnes of cereals to the global market annually and is the leading exporter of sunflower oil in the world. Together with Russia, it contributed roughly a quarter of the world’s wheat exports in 2019.
Here are the most important headlines:
All 27 ambassadors of the European Union issued a joint statement condemning Russia’s actions in Ukraine just before Russia presided over the United Nations Security Council meeting on Monday, where it holds the rotating presidency for the month. Elizabeth Whelan, the sister of detained American Paul Whelan, demanded her brother’s release during the meeting. “Paul has not committed a crime, but a crime has been committed against him,” Whelan said at a UN stakeout alongside the American, Irish, and Canadian ambassadors.
The focus of Russian attacks has shifted slightly in the eastern Donetsk region, according to Ukrainian officials, but the city of Bakhmut and the ruined villages of Mariinka and Avdiivka remain the target of Russian attacks. In the Bakhmut sector, according to Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar, the Russians were employing what she termed “Syrian tactics” of complete destruction of buildings and facilities.
China and ex-Soviet republics: China respects the sovereign state status of ex-Soviet Union nations, according to Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry. Mao’s comments come after the Chinese ambassador to France, Lu Shaye, stirred controversy by claiming in a television interview that former Soviet nations, including the Baltic states, lack “effective status in international law.” China has thus far refused to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or demand the withdrawal of its forces, instead urging “all parties” to exercise restraint and accusing NATO of escalating the conflict. In addition, it has continued to strengthen its diplomatic and economic ties with Moscow.
