Live blog: Turkish, Russian foreign ministers discuss Ukraine, grain deal

Sunday, July 9, 2023

Türkiye's foreign minister has discussed the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and Black Sea grain deal with his Russian counterpart, Turkish diplomatic sources said.

Hakan Fidan and Sergey Lavrov held the phone call earlier in the day to evaluate the latest developments on those two issues, according to the sources.

Russian officials have strongly hinted that this month, they could block the extension of the grain deal, complaining that parts allowing Russian exports have gone unfulfilled.

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1804 GMT — BRICS summit to be 'physical' despite Putin warrant: South Africa

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has said that next month's BRICS summit, which Vladimir Putin has been invited to attend, will be held in person despite an arrest warrant on the Russian leader.

"The BRICS summit is going ahead and we are finalising our discussions on the format," Ramaphosa told South African journalists on the sidelines of a conference by the ruling ANC, adding it will be a "physical" meeting.

He did not say if Putin, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over accusations that Russia unlawfully deported Ukrainian children, would attend or not.

"We have not held a physical summit for... almost three years. It's not going to be virtual," he stressed.

1456 GMT — Türkiye can help end Russia-Ukraine conflict: Bulgarian opposition party

Türkiye can help end the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict by mediating between the two sides, said the leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP).

"I believe that Russia and Ukraine can cease the hostilities through the mediation of 'the big ones' such as Türkiye," Korneliya Ninova said in an exclusive interview with private broadcaster bTV.

1231 GMT — Ukraine: Path to NATO membership will become shorter after Vilnius

Ukraine’s path to NATO membership will become shorter after the upcoming summit of the alliance in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius later this month, according to the Ukrainian foreign minister.

“Several important decisions for Ukraine and NATO have already been agreed. According to the results of the summit, our path to the Alliance will definitely become shorter,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Saturday.

Kuleba said that the NATO summit in Vilnius is a “unique moment” to bring clarity. “For NATO, losing this opportunity would mean giving (Russian President Vladimir) Putin a gift at a time when he needs to be pressed on all fronts,” he added.

He also noted that their work on this matter will continue “until the last minute of the adoption of the declaration of the NATO summit in Vilnius.”

1219 GMT — Ukraine planning ‘systematic damage’ to nuclear plant: Russia

Russia has claimed that Ukraine is planning to inflict “systematic damage” to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the centre of mounting tensions between Kiev and Moscow.

“Now they have embarked on a plan for ‘their own salvation’: the systematic infliction of damage to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a statement on Telegram.

Zakharova also said that the upcoming NATO summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius later this month should devote its primary attention to this issue, saying: “After all, the vast majority of Alliance members will be in the zone of direct defeat.”

Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of plotting to stage an attack on the power plant, Europe's largest, where the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has repeatedly warned of potential catastrophe from nearby military clashes.

0929 GMT — Russia shot down missile over Crimea, Russia-backed governor says

Russian air defence systems have shot down a cruise missile near the city of Kerch, Russia-supported Crimea Governor Sergei Aksyonov wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

The incident inflicted no damage or casualties, he added, without specifying where the missile had been launched from.

Russia annexed Crimea, where it bases its Black Sea Fleet, from Ukraine in 2014. Kiev wants Moscow to hand it back.

0924 GMT — Cambodian PM Hun Sen urges Ukraine not to use US cluster bombs

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, whose country still grapples with deadly war remnants, has urged Ukraine not to use cluster bombs, after Washington announced plans to send the weapons to Kiev to fight Russian troops.

Humanitarian groups have strongly condemned the US decision to supply cluster munitions, which can go undetonated and potentially endanger civilians for years to come.

"It would be the greatest danger for Ukrainians for many years or up to a hundred years if cluster bombs are used in Russian-occupied areas in the territory of Ukraine," Hun Sen tweeted.

He cited Cambodia's "painful experience" of US cluster munitions dropped in the early 1970s, a foreign legacy that has left tens of thousands maimed or killed.

For our live updates from Saturday (July 8), click here