Russia's top diplomat said Moscow's overarching goal in Ukraine is to free its people from its “unacceptable regime,” expressing the Kremlin's war aims in some of the bluntest terms yet as its forces pummel the country with artillery barrages and airstrikes.
The remark from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov comes amid Ukraine's efforts to resume grain exports from its Black Sea ports, something that would help ease global food shortages, under a new deal tested by a Russian strike on Odesa over the weekend.
Lavrov's remarks contrasted with the Kremlin's line early in the war, when it repeatedly emphasized that Russia wasn't seeking to overthrow President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's government, even as Moscow's troops closed in on Kyiv. Russia later retreated from around the capital and turned its attention to capturing the Donbas. The fighting is now in its sixth month.
Ukraine's deputy infrastructure minister, Yury Vaskov, said the first shipment of grain is planned for this week. The foreign minister also planned to visit Uganda and Ethiopia in what was seen as an effort to bolster African support for Russia, especially for any upcoming U.N. votes. Meanwhile, Ukraine's presidential office said Monday at least two civilians were killed and 10 wounded in Russian shelling over the preceding 24 hours.
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