Live blog: UN sends Russia 'concrete proposals' to revive Ukraine grain deal

Thursday, August 31, 2023

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that he had sent Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov "a set of concrete proposals" aimed at reviving a deal that allowed the safe export of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea.

"I believe we presented a proposal that could be the basis for a renewal, but a renewal that must be stable," Guterres told reporters, without elaborating on the details of the proposal.

"We cannot have a Black Sea initiative that moves from crisis to crisis, from suspension to suspension. We need to have something that works and that works to the benefit of everyone," he said.

1834 GMT — Fidan: New UN proposals could revive Black Sea grain deal

A new package of proposals prepared by the UN with Türkiye's contributions could revive the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said.

Speaking at a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow, Fidan said: "We think this is the appropriate ground for the revival" of the July 2022 deal.

He said Türkiye's efforts to revive the Black Sea grain deal will continue, adding: "This agreement is extremely important both for world's food security, and the stability and peace in the Black Sea."

"Today, we held intensive consultations on both bilateral and regional issues. The revival of the Black Sea initiative was high on our agenda," Fidan noted, highlighting the sense of trust between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, which he said played a crucial role in determining the direction of bilateral ties.

"We stressed the critical role of the (Black Sea) initiative for both global food security and stability in the Black Sea region," he added.

Fidan pointed to Moscow's demands for the uninterrupted export of Russian grain and fertiliser, noting that the need to meet them was reaffirmed.

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1801 GMT — Russia destroys Ukrainian drone over Bryansk region -Defence Ministry

Russian anti-aircraft units destroyed a Ukrainian drone over Bryansk region in the south of the country, the Defence Ministry said on Telegram.

Bryansk region has been the target of several of Ukraine's recent attempts to launch drone strikes on Russian territory.

1557 GMT — Moscow stages local elections in occupied parts of Ukraine

Russian-backed authorities began holding regional elections in parts of Ukraine Russia claimed as its own last year, seeking to cement Moscow's authority in what it calls its "new territories" despite the ongoing conflict.

Russia does not fully control any of the four regions where the votes are being held - Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. Along with Crimea - illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014 - they make up almost a fifth of Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials say the elections are also illegal and show why it is impossible to hold any peace talks with Moscow until Russia withdraws all its troops from Ukrainian territory.

1540 GMT — Turkish, Ukrainian infrastructure ministers hold videoconference

Abdulkadir Uraloglu and Oleksandr Kubrakov discussed the highways damaged during the Russia-Ukraine war and the reconstruction of transport infrastructure, according to a statement from the Turkish side.

Uraloglu reiterated Türkiye's efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war and re-plug the Black Sea grain deal. "It is important that Ukraine's ports on the Black Sea coast remain open to trade. We will continue to work on how to support this," he said.

1504 GMT — Reviving Ukraine grain deal 'critical' for food security: Türkiye

Türkiye's foreign minister said on a visit to Moscow that reviving a deal to ship Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea was "critical" for food security.

"We underlined its critical role for global food security and stability in the Black Sea," Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said during a joint media appearance with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.

Russia is ready to return to a deal permitting Ukraine to ship grain through the Black Sea as soon as concrete measures are taken to resolve all the problems with it, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

Fidan and Lavrov met to discuss the revival of the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

Russia quit the year-old deal in July, complaining in particular that Western sanctions were impeding its own exports of food and fertilisers.

Türkiye is continuing its efforts to revive the Black Sea grain deal, and has said that there is no alternative to the initiative.

1442 GMT — Moscow sees no sign of new guarantees on grain deal: Lavrov

Russia sees no sign it will receive the guarantees it requires before resuming a deal allowing Ukraine to ship its grain through the Black Sea, but can return to it "tomorrow" if Western promises to Moscow are fulfilled, Lavrov said.

Lavrov reiterated Russia's assertion that Western economic sanctions were hampering Russian grain and fertiliser exports.

He also said that a plan currently being discussed to supply one million tonnes of Russian grain to Türkiye at a discounted price would be on top of the grain supplies that Russia has promised to give some African countries free of charge.

1404 GMT — Britain's BAE Systems sets up Ukrainian entity

British defence company BAE Systems said it had established a local entity in Ukraine and signed deals with the Ukrainian government to help ramp up its supply of weapons and other equipment to the country.

1400 GMT — EU mulls subsidising Ukraine's grain exports

The European Union plans to subsidise the export of Ukrainian agricultural products to compensate for rising prices after Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea grain deal, an EU commissioner said.

EU Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski said he is working on a proposal that would support the export of Ukrainian agricultural products that “needs to find the global markets, the global outlets” despite the rising costs of transit.

Wojciechowski also said the cost of transporting Ukrainian grain will grow after Moscow refused in July to extend the Black Sea grain deal and “Russia is trying to replace Ukraine on those markets.”

Under Wojciechowski’s plan, the EU would give an average subsidy of €30 ($33) per ton for Ukrainian products which “would be viable and cost-effective for potential buyers and purchases from outside Europe.”

1259 GMT — Zelenskyy: Ukraine has developed a long-range weapon

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country has developed a weapon that hit a target 700 kilometers (400 miles) away, in an apparent reference to the previous day’s strike on an airport in western Russia.

Zelenskyy said on his Telegram channel the weapon was produced by Ukraine’s Ministry of Strategic Industries but gave no other details.

1223 GMT — Ukraine reports some battlefield 'successes' in the south, east

Ukrainian troops have secured some new "successes" in the south and east as they try to push forward their counteroffensive against Russian forces, Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said.

Kiev's forces have been making slow progress against Russian minefields and trenches blocking a southern push intended to reach the Sea of Azov and split Russian forces.

"There have been some successes, in particular in the direction of Novodanylivka-Novoprokopivka," Maliar said, referring to two southeastern villages in the Zaporizhzhia region.

Novoprokopivka lies further south of the strategic settlement of Robotyne, which Ukraine said on Monday it had liberated.

Maliar also said Kiev's forces were pressing on with their offensive operations south of the devastated eastern city of Bakhmut, which was captured by Russian troops in May.

1124 GMT — Prigozhin's right-hand man in Wagner buried quietly near Moscow

The co-founder and military commander of the Russian mercenary group Wagner was buried near Moscow, after dying in an unexplained plane crash that also killed his boss Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Dmitry Utkin, 53, whose call-sign "Wagner" gave the private army its name, was buried in Mytishchi, on the outskirts of the capital, in a ceremony cordoned off by Russian military police, according to the popular online news channel Shot.

1040 GMT — Ukraine's Kuleba tells critics of counter-offensive to 'shut up'

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba hit out at critics of Kiev's tactics in its counter-offensive against Russia's military operation, saying they were spitting in the faces of Ukrainian soldiers and should "shut up".

"Criticising the slow pace of (the) counter-offensive equals ... spitting into the face of (the) Ukrainian soldier who sacrifices his life every day, moving forward and liberating one kilometre of Ukrainian soil after another," Kuleba told reporters at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Toledo, Spain.

"I would recommend all critics to shut up, come to Ukraine and try to liberate one square centimetre by themselves," Kuleba said, standing alongside Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares.

1000 GMT — Wagner chief Prigozhin spoke about his security in newly surfaced video

A newly released video of Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin purports to show him in Africa only days before his death, addressing speculation about his well-being and possible threats to his security.

"For those who are discussing whether I'm alive or not, how I'm doing - right now it's the weekend, second half of August 2023, I'm in Africa," Prigozhin says in the short video published by the Grey Zone Telegram channel which is linked to his Wagner Group.

"So for people who like to discuss wiping me out, or my private life, how much I earn or whatever else - everything's ok," he adds with a wave of his hand.

Prigozhin's camouflage clothing and hat, as well as the watch on his right hand, matched his appearance in a video released on August 21, which he also claimed was filmed in Africa.

His "weekend" reference implied the latest clip must have been made on August 19 or 20, only three or four days before he and other top Wagner figures and bodyguards were killed in a plane crash north of Moscow on August 23.

0945 GMT — Russia says it downed Ukraine drone

Russia has claimed that it shot down a Ukrainian drone attempting an attack over the country’s Moscow region.

“On the morning of August 31, another terrorist attack by the Kiev regime was thwarted using an aircraft-type UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) against facilities in the Russian Federation,” said a statement by the Russian Defense Ministry.

The statement said the drone was shot down by air defence systems over Moscow’s Voskresensky district.

Moscow’s Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said in a statement on Telegram that there were no casualties or damage due to the attack, adding that emergency services are on the scene.

Ukrainian authorities have not yet commented on the attack, and independent verification of Russia’s claim is difficult due to the ongoing war.

0930 GMT — Russia says two Ukrainian 'saboteurs' killed in incursion

Two Ukrainian "saboteurs" were killed and five captured during an incursion into the region of Bryansk, a Russian official said.

Russian regions bordering Ukraine have reported repeated shelling and attacks from Kiev's forces, including occasional cross-border incursions.

Bryansk governor Alexander Bogomaz said that a group of Ukrainian special forces tried to carry out a series of "terrorist acts on military and energy infrastructure facilities" on Wednesday.

"In the course of operational and combat measures in the Navlinsky district, two militants were liquidated, five were detained, three of whom were wounded," he said in a post on social media.

The Navlinsky district is some 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

0700 GMT — US says Putin and Kim traded letters

The White House has said that it has new intelligence that shows Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un have swapped letters as Russia looks to North Korea for munitions for the war in Ukraine.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu during a recent visit to Pyongyang called on North Korean officials to increase the sale of munitions to Moscow for its Ukraine war.

Kirby said that Russia is looking for additional artillery shells and other basic materiel to shore up its defense industrial base.

He added that the letters were "more at the surface level” but that Russian and North Korean talks on a weapons sale were advancing. The leaders exchanged the letters following Shoigu's visit, he said.

Kirby declined to detail how US officials had gathered the intelligence.

Both North Korea and Russia have previously denied the US allegations about weapons. North Korea, however, has sided with Russia over the war in Ukraine, insisting that the “hegemonic policy” of the US-led West has forced Moscow to take military action to protect its security interests.

2324 GMT — Zelenskyy slams corruption in military medical exemptions

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has decried what he described as systematic corruption in medical exemptions to people avoiding military service, saying the system was subject to bribes and mass departures abroad.

Zelenskyy said the National Security and Defence Council had considered data showing the extent of false exemptions, bribe-taking and flight abroad since the February 2022 invasion.

"There are examples of regions where the number of exemptions from military service due to medical commission decisions has increased tenfold since February last year," Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address.

"It is absolutely clear what sort of decisions these are. Corrupt decisions."

He said the investigation had exposed corrupt practices in different regions and by officials in different positions, involving bribes ranging from $3,000 to $15,000.

Zelenskyy said a separate analysis was needed to determine the number of people who had fled abroad, mainly on the basis of medical commission decisions.

"We are talking about at least thousands of individuals," he said.

For our live updates from Wednesday (August 30), click here.