Ukraine updates: Russia seeking ‘catastrophe’ — Zelenskyy – DW – 08/03/2023

The European Union has warned that Russia is offering cheap grain to vulnerable countries for its own geopolitical gain.

“As the world deals with disrupted supplies and higher prices, Russia is now approaching vulnerable countries with bilateral offers of grain shipments at discounted prices, pretending to solve a problem it created itself,” EU top diplomat Josep Borrell said.

“This is a cynical policy of deliberately using food as a weapon to create new dependencies by exacerbating economic vulnerabilities and global food insecurity,” he said.

The UN Security Council is holding a meeting on food security at 1400 UTC/GMT. The meeting is to be chaired by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia’s attack on the Izmail port was born out of an intent on creating a “global catastrophe.”

“For the Russian state, this is not just a battle against our freedom and against our country,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address.

 “Moscow is waging a battle for a global catastrophe. In their madness, they need world food markets to collapse, they need a price crisis, they need disruptions in supplies.”

The Danube port of Izmail served as the main alternative route for shipping grain supplies from Ukraine to the rest of the world after the collapse of the Black Sea grain deal.

Anti-aircraft units were in action against attack drones during a three-hour raid alert in Kyiv.

Several explosions occurred in the city, but no strikes or casualties were announced.

Kyiv military authorities lifted the alert just after 4 a.m. local time (0100 UTC).

sdi/rc (Reuters, dpa, AP, AFP)