Global food concerns rise as Russia halts Ukraine grain deal
Ukraine's Infrastructure Ministry reported Sunday that 218 ships involved in grain exports have been blocked -- 22 loaded and stuck at ports, 95 loaded and departed from ports, and 101 awaiting inspections.
At the United Nations in New York, Guterres delayed a trip by a day to engage in talks aimed at ending Russia's suspension of the grain export deal. Russia also requested a meeting Monday of the U.N. Security Council to discuss the topic. But an adviser to Ukraine's Interior Ministry claimed that the Russians' "careless handling of explosives" had caused blasts on four Russian warships. Anton Gerashchenko wrote on Telegram that the vessels included a frigate, a landing ship and a ship that carried cruise missiles.
On the battlefront, Russian missile attacks kept pounding key front-line hot spots in Ukraine. The Russians shelled seven Ukrainian regions over the past 24 hours, killing at least five civilians and wounding nine more, Ukraine's presidential office said. In addition, in areas that Ukraine has recaptured, residents are still recovering bodies of killed civilians, Donetsk Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko said.