Live: Joint centre for Ukraine grain exports opens in Istanbul

Issued on: 27/07/2022 – 07:07

1:27pm: Joint centre for Ukraine grain exports opens in Istanbul

Turkey on Wednesday formally opened a joint coordination centre for Ukrainian grain exports under a UN-backed deal aimed at resuming shipments for the first time since Russia’s February invasion of its neighbour.

Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar unveiled the centre at a ceremony held five days after Moscow and Kyiv put their names on a deal designed to deliver wheat and other grain across the Black Sea from three designated Ukrainian ports.

The centre will be staffed by civilian and military officials from the two warring parties and delegates from Turkey and the UN.

Their primary assignment involves monitoring the safe passage of Ukrainian grain ships along established routes and overseeing their inspection for banned weapons on the way into and out of the Black Sea.

1:09pm: Ukraine says operations resume at ports designated for grain export

Kyiv said Wednesday that work had resumed at three Black Sea ports designated under a recent deal with Russia to resume cereals’ exports that have been blocked by Russia’s invasion.

“In connection with the signing of the agreement on the unblocking of Ukrainian ports for the export of grain, work has resumed in the ports of Odesa, Chernomorsk and Pivdennyi,” the Ukrainian navy said in a statement on social media.

Kyiv and Moscow last week agreed a mechanism with the help of Turkey and the United Nations to allow blocked Ukrainian grain to be exported from the three ports.

12:21am: Ukrainian parliament approves appointment of new prosecutor general

Ukrainian parliament approved the appointment of lawmaker Andriy Kostin as the country’s prosecutor general on Wednesday, the prosecutor general’s office said.

Some 299 deputies in the 450-seat parliament endorsed Kostin’s appointment, it said on the Telegram messaging app.

Kostin is a member of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s Servant of the People party. The president had earlier nominated Kostin to replace Iryna Venediktova, who was removed as prosecutor general earlier this month.

11:50am: Russia vows to hinder work of Western media after RT France ban

The Kremlin on Wednesday vowed to hinder work of Western media in Russia after a European court upheld a broadcast ban imposed on Russian news channel RT France.

“Of course, we will take similar measures of pressure on Western media that operate in our country,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

“We will also not let them work in our country,” he said, describing the Kremlin’s reaction to the ban as “extremely negative”.

11:24am: European court upholds broadcasting ban on Russia’s RT France

A European court on Wednesday upheld a broadcast ban imposed on Russian news channel RT France as part of EU sanctions slapped on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.

The European Court of Justice in Luxembourg issued a judgement throwing out an appeal from state-owned outlet RT against the ban, which the EU imposed in March over accusations that the network spreads disinformation.

10:53am: Strike on hotel in east Ukraine kills at least one

At least one person was killed by a Russian strike on a Ukrainian hotel in the Donetsk region town of Bakhmut on Wednesday, local authorities said.

“According to preliminary information, there are dead and wounded, a rescue operation is underway,” local Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko wrote on Facebook. The local emergency service said a toll of one dead and four wounded had been confirmed so far.

9:47am: Ukraine forces strike key bridge in Russian-occupied south

Ukrainian troops have struck a strategic bridge essential for Moscow to supply its forces occupying the country’s south, as Russia pounded several areas in Ukraine with rocket and artillery strikes.

The Ukrainian military struck the Antonivskyi Bridge across the Dnieper River late Tuesday, the deputy head of the Moscow-appointed administration for the Kherson region, Kirill Stremousov, said.

He said the bridge was still standing but its deck was pierced with holes, stopping vehicles from crossing.

The 1.4-kilometer (0.9-mile) bridge sustained serious damage in Ukrainian shelling last week, when it took multiple hits. It was closed for trucks but had remained open for passenger vehicles until the strike late Tuesday.

8:55am: Russian mercenary group Wagner made tactical advances in Donbas, says UK intelligence

Russian private mercenary group Wagner has likely made tactical advances in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, British military intelligence said on Wednesday.

The advances were made around the Vuhlehirska Power Plant and the nearby village of Novoluhanske, the ministry of defence said on Twitter, adding that some Ukrainian forces have likely withdrawn from the area.

7:29am: Gazprom slashes Nord Stream gas deliveries to Europe

Russian energy giant Gazprom drastically cut gas deliveries to Europe via the Nord Stream pipeline on Wednesday to about 20 percent of its capacity, German authorities said.

The Russian state-run company had announced Monday that it would choke supply to 33 million cubic metres a day — half the amount it has been delivering since service resumed last week after 10 days of maintenance work.

7:16am: EU agrees to cut gas consumption amid Russian supply fears

European Union governments agreed Tuesday to reduce consumption of natural gas this winter to protect themselves against any further supply cuts by Russia amid its invasion of Ukraine, although the measure contains exemptions for some countries.

“European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was trying to portray this as a moment of great unity today but behind the scenes there was a lot of disunity”, reports David Keating, FRANCE 24’s correspondent in Brussels.

6:44am: Yellen discusses price cap on Russian oil with UK’s Zahawi

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen considered a proposed price cap on Russian oil on a phone call with British Finance Minister Nadhim Zahawi on Tuesday, a move to reduce the impact of the war in Ukraine on global energy prices.

(FRANCE 24 with Reuters, AP and AFP)