War in Ukraine: Grain only if sanctions are lifted, Ukraine should pay for Ukrainian electricity

Enlarge image

A Russian Navy boat patrols the port of Berdyansk

Photo: SNA/IMAGO

On the 85th day of the war, which Russia calls "special operations," the Kremlin troops continue their attacks - and not just with military means.

The developments at a glance.

That's what Moscow says about Ukraine's grain, electricity and population

Millions of people around the world, especially in Asia and Africa, depend on grain exports from »Europe's granary«.

Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock recently accused Moscow of triggering an imminent hunger crisis by blocking grain exports and of using hunger as a weapon.

The Kremlin has now announced that a possible opening of Ukrainian ports will be conditional on the partial lifting of Western sanctions.

"If our partners want to reach a solution, then the problems associated with lifting sanctions imposed on Russian exports must also be solved," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said, according to the Interfax agency.

There are complex reasons for the current food crisis and the high prices, said Rudenko.

The cause of the crisis is primarily the sanctions of the US and the EU, "which prevent normal free trade, including food, including wheat, fertilizer and other things".

According to official figures, Ukrainian grain exports in May have so far reached a good third of the volume of the previous year.

The Mariupol city government said on Telegram that the Russians were trying to “put the trading port back in order to export grain, metal goods and other products worth millions of dollars”.

It's "theft".

However, Russia does not only deny Ukraine food that it produces.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Chusnullin also wants to cut off the country's power supply to the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant if Kyiv does not pay for the electricity produced there.

If Kyiv complies, the power plant occupied by the Russian army will continue to produce electricity for Ukraine.

Otherwise the power plant will "produce for Russia."

The Ukrainian nuclear agency Energoatom said the nuclear power plant will continue to supply Ukraine with electricity.

A spokesman doubted Russia's ability to redirect the energy to itself.

“It takes time and money.

It's like building a bridge in Crimea.«

The local population, on the other hand, is said to be able to decide for themselves what their future should look like.

The will of the people in the occupied areas is crucial, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, according to the Interfax agency.

"Nothing can be done unless they decide for themselves how and with whom they should live."

Kyiv has long expected that there could be (sham) votes in regions conquered by Russia, along the lines of the pro-Russian separatist regions of Luhansk and Donetsk.

According to Russian sources, a total of 1,730 fighters from the besieged Azov steelworks have surrendered in Mariupol since the beginning of the week.

According to the Ministry of Defense in Moscow, more than 770 Ukrainians have been captured in the past 24 hours alone.

There was initially no confirmation from the Ukrainian side.

That says Kyiv

The Ukrainian government has called for a clear prospect of EU accession and has clearly criticized the attitude of some EU countries in the process.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba complained on Twitter about "second-class treatment" by "certain" EU countries.

"The strategic ambiguity practiced by some EU capitals in recent years regarding Ukraine's European perspective has failed and must be ended," said Kuleba.

She "only encouraged Putin".

You don't need surrogates to join the Union.

French President Emmanuel Macron said last week that the process of joining the EU could take "decades".

Instead, he proposed the creation of a "European political community" for Ukraine and other candidate countries.

Kiev's ambassador in Berlin, Andriy Melnyk, has once again accused the German government of a lack of military support for his country.

Although the Bundestag decided on April 28 to deliver heavy weapons, »Ukraine has not received any heavy weapons from Germany since then,« Melnyk told the newspapers of the Funke media group.

The international secret

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has promised Kyiv further defense assistance.

"Putin still believes that he can bomb a dictated peace," said Scholz in a government statement in the Bundestag.

However, there will be no such dictated peace because the Ukrainians will not accept it – “nor will we”.

Finance Minister Christian Linder announced at the meeting of the G7 finance ministers that Germany will support Ukraine with short-term budget support of around one billion euros.

According to Lindner, other G7 countries also intend to step in.

For example, the United States wanted to mobilize $7.5 billion.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is sticking to his country's veto on the admission of Finland and Sweden to NATO.

“We have told those responsible in NATO that we will say no to the accession of Finland and Sweden.

And we will continue to do so," said Erdoğan on state broadcaster TRT.

Irrespective of joining the military alliance, Warsaw has promised Stockholm and Helsinki military support in the event of an attack on the countries.

At the same time, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki spoke out in favor of the states being admitted to NATO.

In any case, Poland will stand by the two states should they have to defend themselves.

In April, the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the Moskva, sunk after Ukrainian fire.

Now the British secret service assumes that Igor Ossipow, commander of the fleet, had to vacate his post in the wake of the shame.

New attacks in eastern Ukraine

According to the regional governor, at least twelve people were killed in bomb attacks in the city of Severodonetsk.

40 others were injured, said the governor of the Luhansk region, Serhiy Gajdaj, in the messenger service Telegram.

The Russian armed forces attacked "indiscriminately with heavy weapons" in the morning.

In particular, residential buildings were hit.

"The bombing continues," Gajdaj added.

The number of victims could therefore increase.

Severodonetsk is almost completely surrounded by Russian troops.

You should read or see this

• They are considered pacifists, but Sweden has a powerful army.

  NATO would gain a strong partner - and could not only benefit from the modern submarines of the northern Europeans.

• The Ukrainian army is trying by all means to stop the Russian troops in the Donbass.

  President Selenskyj scoffs at "miracle weapons" - and Mariupol warns of the risk of epidemics.

  The situation in the video.

• The Kremlin boss knows no inhibitions and could also use nuclear weapons, says Harvard political scientist Graham Allison.

  How to stop killing in Ukraine?

  By making an offer to Putin.

• Turkey should understand Sweden's and Finland's desire to join NATO very well: After 1945, it felt threatened by Stalin's aggressive territorial demands - and demanded admission to the alliance.

svs/dpa/AFP/Reuters