Live blog: EU ready to move Ukraine's grain exports via solidarity lanes

Tuesday, July 25, 2023

1440 GMT - The European Union is ready to export almost all of Ukraine's agriculture goods via "solidarity lanes", the EU's agriculture commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski said, after Russia pulled out of the Black Sea grain deal this month.

Solidarity lanes are rail and road transport connections through EU member states that border Ukraine.

"It is not the first time Russia uses food as a weapon...the situation is similar to the beginning of the war," Wojciechowski told reporters.

"We are ready to export almost everything. This is about four million tonnes per month of oilseeds and grains and we achieved this volume in November last year," he added.

Wojciechowski said 60 percent of Ukraine's exports were shipped via solidarity lanes and 40 percent went via the Black Sea while the the grain deal was in operation.

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1752 GMT - US announces new $400M military aid package for Ukraine

The United States announced a new $400 million military assistance package for Ukraine featuring ammunition for artillery and air defence systems.

The announcement on the aid -- which will be drawn from US military stocks -- comes as Ukrainian troops press ahead with a slow-moving counteroffensive against Russian forces.

The package includes munitions for both Patriot and NASAMs air defence systems as well as Stinger missiles, 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds, 32 Stryker armored personnel carriers, and more than 28 million rounds of small arms ammunition a nd grenades, the Pentagon said in a statement.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the assistance is aimed at "strengthening Ukraine's brave forces on the battlefield" and "helping them retake Ukraine's sovereign territory."

1640 GMT - Putin to discuss Ukraine with African leaders

Russian President Vladimir Putin will discuss Ukraine with leaders of African countries, who will gather for a Russia-Africa summit hosted in Saint Petersburg later this week, the Kremlin said.

"On July 28, Vladimir Putin is scheduled to have a working lunch with a group of leaders of African states on Ukraine issues," the Kremlin said in a statement.

Russia "appreciates the sincere efforts of the African partners for a political resolution of the conflict," the Kremlin said.

Several African leaders including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa are expected at the summit set for Thursday and Friday in Putin's native city.

The Kremlin said that 49 African countries have confirmed their participation.

1505 GMT - Any Russian bid to stop grain leaving Ukraine 'unacceptable': UK

Any efforts by Russia to prevent grain from leaving Ukraine would be "completely unacceptable", UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said, as his foreign minister warned that civilian ships in the Black Sea could be targeted.

Sunak said he had talked to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky by phone "and made it clear that any Russian attempt to stop grain leaving Ukraine is completely unacceptable".

His foreign minister James Cleverly earlier tweeted that the UK was concerned Russia was planning to disrupt grain exports.

"The UK believes that Russia may escalate its campaign to destroy Ukraine's food exports by targeting civilian ships in the Black Sea," he said.

"Russia should stop holding global food supplies hostage and return to the deal," Cleverly added.

1435 GMT - Russia says army advanced 2 km in east Ukraine in 24 hours

Russia said that its forces had progressed by up to two kilometres (1.2 miles) along a section of the front in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region.

"The total advance of our units amounted to up two kilometres in depth along up to four kilometres of the front" in the direction of Lyman, the defence ministry said in a statement.

1035 GMT - EU gives Ukraine another $1.65B following latest Russian strikes

The European Union has disbursed €1.5 billion ($1.65 billion) to Ukraine following the latest Russian airstrikes.

"I firmly condemn the Russian strikes on Ukrainian grain storage and export infrastructure," EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a tweet on Tuesday, adding that the EU continues to support Ukraine.

"Today we paid another €1.5 billion, to help keep the state running and repair infrastructure. More will come," she also said.

0610 GMT — Russian diplomat says no talks underway on restoring grain deal: RIA

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin has said that no talks on resuming the Black Sea grain export deal were currently underway, the RIA news agency reported.

The deal, brokered by the United Nations and Türkiye last July, aimed to prevent a global food crisis by allowing grain blocked by the war in Ukraine to be safely exported.

Russia announced it was withdrawing from the deal last week.

0556 GMT — Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant makes shutdown transition for maintenance

Operators carrying out maintenance at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant have switched the shutdown mode of two reactors, the Moscow-backed administration of the plant, located on the war's front-line, said.

One of the plant's six reactors, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), needs to be kept in a hot shutdown mode in order to produce steam required for nuclear safety, including the processing of liquid radioactive waste in storage tanks.

"In order to conduct a scheduled technical inspection of the equipment of power unit No. 5, the management of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant decided to transfer it to the 'cold shutdown,' state," the administration said on its Telegram channel.

0350 GMT — Wheat climbs to 5-month high as Russia intensifies attacks on Ukraine ports

Chicago wheat futures has risen to a five-month top, gaining 2 percent as Russia's attacks on Ukrainian ports and grain infrastructure sparked concerns about long-term global supplies and food security.

Corn edged higher while soybeans eased.

"The slowdown in Ukrainian exports has been priced into the market, and buyers are now waiting to see what happens to Russian wheat exports," said one Singapore-based grains trader.

"Any restrictions on movement of ships from Russia will be bullish for prices."

0255 GMT - Ukraine 'downs drones' after Russia launches attack on Kiev

Russia has launched a nighttime drone attack on Kiev, local authorities said, adding all incoming drones had been shot down and early information indicated no damage or casualties.

The reported attack comes a day after Russia warned of "tough retaliatory measures" after a drone attack on Moscow, some 500 kilometres (300 miles) from Ukraine.

Russia "attacked Kiev with strike UAVs," Sergiy Popko, head of the Kiev city military administration, said on Telegram, without specifying how many or where they had been launched from.

"The air alert lasted for 3 hours... All air targets were detected and destroyed on the approach to Kiev," it said. "According to the information at this moment, there were no victims or destruction in the capital."

0126 GMT — Mines found at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant: UN watchdog

The UN's atomic watchdog said it saw anti-personnel mines at the site of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant which is occupied by Russian forces.

Europe's largest nuclear facility fell to Russian forces shortly after the war began in Ukraine in February last year and Kiev and Moscow have since accused each other of planning an incident at the site.

On July 23 IAEA experts "saw some mines located in a buffer zone between the site's internal and external perimeter barriers," agency chief Rafael Grossi said in a statement.

For our live updates from Monday (July 24), click HERE.