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Kremlin says it will rejoin UN grain deal in humiliating U-turn
Here’s the full write-up by my colleagues Peter Beaumont and Andrew Roth on Russia saying it will resume its part in the deal to allow grain to be shipped from Ukraine through the Black Sea.
The Kremlin has said it will rejoin the UN-administered grain export corridor from Ukraine after pulling out over the weekend after a drone attack on Russian warships in the port of Sevastopol.
Moscow’s humiliating climbdown came two days after a large convoy of ships moved a record amount of grain in defiance of Russia’s warnings that it would be “unsafe” without its participation, and after high-level diplomatic contacts between Turkey – one of the guarantors of the scheme with the UN – and Russia.
Russia’s withdrawal had reignited fears over global hunger and food prices that had been alleviated by the inauguration of the scheme earlier this year which allowed cargo ships to move Ukrainian gain without fear of being targeted.
Confirming Turkish reports that Moscow would be lifting its suspension, the Russian defence ministry said it had received written guarantees from Kyiv not to use the Black Sea grain corridor for military operations against Russia.
“The Russian Federation considers that the guarantees received at the moment appear sufficient, and resumes the implementation of the agreement,” the ministry statement said.
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Key events
Switzerland has introduced sanctions against an Iranian firm and three army members after the country sold drones to Russia as part of its war effort in Ukraine.
It follows the European Union taking similar steps in October. On Tuesday, the Ukrainian government claimed that Iran was due to send another 200 combat drones in addition to those that have already been provided.
Shahed Aviation Industries, along with three men, Maj Gen Mohammed Hossein Bagheri, Gen Syed Hojatollah Qureishi and Brig Gen Syed Aghajani have been given travel bans and had their assets frozen.
The Swiss government has so far refused to follow the EU line on sanctions with Iran. It has not introduced them in response to the Iranian government’s handling of protests after the death of Mahsa Amini.
Passenger numbers on Russian airlines were down 20% in September compared to last year, as the impact of western sanctions continues to weigh on the industry.
Russian airlines carried 9.87 million passengers in September, Russia’s statistics agency Rosstat said on Wednesday, down a fifth from September 2021.
Western countries banned Russian airlines from using their airspace in response to Moscow sending its armed forces into Ukraine in February, cutting them off from lucrative routes to Europe and the United States.
Aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Boeing have also stopped selling planes, parts and equipment to Russian airlines, forcing some companies to cannibalise existing jets to get hold of spare parts, Reuters reports.
Traffic for the entire first nine months of the year was down 13.1% to 72.6 million passengers, Rosstat said.
Summary of the day so far …
As it has just gone 6pm in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, here is a roundup of today’s news so far.
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The Kremlin has said it will rejoin the UN-administered grain export corridor from Ukraine, after pulling out over the weekend following a drone attack on Russian warships in the port of Sevastopol.
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Moscow’s humiliating climbdown came two days after a large convoy of ships moved a record amount of grain in defiance of Russia’s warnings that it would be unsafe without its participation, and after high-level diplomatic contacts between Turkey – one of the guarantors of the scheme with the UN – and Russia.
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The Russian defence ministry said it had received written guarantees from Kyiv not to use the Black Sea grain corridor for military operations against Russia. “The Russian Federation considers that the guarantees received at the moment appear sufficient, and resumes the implementation of the agreement,” the ministry statement said.
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The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, will be seen as having successfully called the Russians’ bluff to blockade Ukrainian ports or even sink civilian cargo ships carrying grain abroad. The Turkish leader had said exports of grain from Ukraine would continue with or without Russian approval and appears to have brokered the Russian climbdown.
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Separately, Moscow said it would summon the UK ambassador to Russia, Deborah Bronnert, over its accusation that “British specialists” were involved in the Sevastopol attack. Russia has, without providing evidence, repeatedly blamed the UK for Saturday’s audacious attack, in which a swarm of drones attacked Russia’s Black Sea fleet.
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The governor of the Kyiv region, Oleksiy Kuleba, told Ukraine’s Hromadske TV that Kyiv region is once again becoming an “outpost” in Russia’s strategy to target the capital. Earlier Kuleba gave an update on the energy situation in the region on the Telegram messaging service, saying 16,000 homes remain without electricity.
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Russian security services in Crimea claim to have foiled a plot to sabotage energy supplies in the region by Ukraine’s security service and have detained a man over it.
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Russia has said it is fully committed to preventing nuclear war, and that avoiding a clash among countries that have nuclear weapons is its highest priority. In a statement, the country’s foreign ministry said: “In implementing its policy on nuclear deterrence Russia is strictly and consistently guided by the tenet that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.”
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Poland will build a razor-wire fence on its border with Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave, its defence minister said on Wednesday. Construction of the temporary 2.5-metre (8ft) high and 3-metre deep barrier will start immediately, Mariusz Błaszczak told a news conference.
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Finland’s president, Sauli Niinisto, said he was counting on Hungary to ratify the Nordic country’s Nato application after he had talked on the phone with the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán.
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Two Russian oligarchs and business partners of Roman Abramovich have been added to the UK government’s sanctions list in response to the invasion of Ukraine. Alexander Abramov and Alexander Frolov, whom the UK government said were “known to be business associates” of the former Chelsea FC owner, were on Wednesday among four new Russian steel and petrochemical tycoons added to the sanctions list.
The US has information that indicates North Korea is secretly supplying Russia with artillery shells, according to the White House spokesperson, John Kirby.
Kirby, who specialises in national security, told a virtual briefing that North Korea was trying to hide the shipments by funnelling them through the Middle East and North Africa.
“Our indications are that the DPRK is covertly supplying and we are going to monitor to see whether the shipments are received,” Kirby said, according to Reuters, adding that Washington would consult with the United Nations on accountability issues over the shipments.
“It is not an insignificant number of shells, but we don’t believe they are in such a quantity that they would change the momentum of the war,” he said.
“And it’s certainly not going to change our calculus … or with so many of our allies and partners about the kinds of capabilities we’re going to continue to provide the Ukrainians.”
North Korea said in September it had never supplied weapons or ammunition to Russia and has no plans to do so, while warning the US to “keep its mouth shut” and stop circulating rumours aimed at “tarnishing” the country’s image.
Putin: Russia reserves right to withdraw from grain deal again if Kyiv breaks guarantees
The Russian President Vladimir Putin has spoken about the resumption of his nation’s participation in the Black Sea grain deal, saying Russia reserved the right to withdraw again if guarantees they had received were not kept.
The Russian Interfax news agency quotes Putin saying:
We demanded assurances and guarantees from the Ukrainian side that nothing like [the Sevastopol attack] will happen in the future, that humanitarian corridors will not be used for military purposes.
Information has been received through the Ministry of Defence from the Turkish side that such assurances have been given by Ukraine that these humanitarian corridors will not be used for military purposes.
In this regard, I have given instructions to the Ministry of Defence to resume our full participation in this work.
At the same time, Russia reserves the right to withdraw from these agreements if these guarantees are violated by Ukraine.
Putin was speaking at a meeting with permanent members of the Russian security council.
The UN secretary-general, António Guterres, has welcomed Russia’s resumption of participation in the Ukraine Black Sea grain deal, a UN spokesperson said, and is continuing to push for a renewal of the pact that could still expire on 19 November.
“The secretary-general continues his engagement with all actors towards the renewal and full implementation of the initiative, and he also remains committed to removing the remaining obstacles to the exports of Russian food and fertiliser,” Reuters reports the UN spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, as saying.
Here are some pictures that have been sent today over the newswires from Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. They show civilians who have been moved from Kherson region to the town of Dzhankoi in Crimea, in what Russian-installed authorities in occupied Ukraine have described as “evacuations”, which have been deemed forced deportations by Ukrainian authorities in Kyiv.
Finland’s president, Sauli Niinisto, said he was counting on Hungary to ratify the Nordic country’s Nato application after he had talked on the phone with the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán.
“Good that Finland can count on Hungary in our Nato ratification. I look forward to further strengthening our Finno-Ugric connection also as allies,” Niinisto said on Twitter, referring to the countries’ shared linguistic history.
The Hungarian government did not immediately reply to a request from Reuters for comment.
Spain’s foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, has been in Kyiv today, where he met with his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba.
Albares said in a tweet upon his arrival: “Just arrived in Kyiv to convey Spain’s commitment and support to the people and government of Ukraine in defence of its sovereignty, peace and freedom; and support and thank the members of the embassy of Spain in Ukraine for their work.”
Acabo de llegar a Kyiv para trasladar el compromiso y apoyo de España al pueblo y al gobierno de Ucrania en la defensa de su soberanía, su paz y libertad; y respaldar y agradecer por su labor a los miembros de la Embajada de España en Ucrania @EmbEspKyiv. pic.twitter.com/0KT0ryAdKW
— José Manuel Albares (@jmalbares) November 2, 2022
Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, commented on the visit, saying: “Our commitment to Ukraine is firm. Spain today sends new aid material to Kyiv. We will continue to support Ukrainian sovereignty in the face of Putin’s illegal aggression and to work for the reconstruction of the country.”
As part of its latest aid package, Spain is donating 30 ambulances to Ukraine.
Russia ‘reaffirms commitment’ to preventing nuclear war
Russia has said it is fully committed to preventing nuclear war, and that avoiding a clash among countries that have nuclear weapons is its highest priority.
In a statement, the country’s foreign ministry said: “In implementing its policy on nuclear deterrence Russia is strictly and consistently guided by the tenet that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought. Russian doctrinal approaches in this sphere are defined with utmost accuracy, pursue solely defensive goals and do not admit of expansive interpretation.
“We fully reaffirm our commitment to the joint statement of the five nuclear-weapon states leaders on the prevention of nuclear war and the avoidance of an arms race from 3 January.
“We are strongly convinced that in the current complicated and turbulent situation, caused by irresponsible and impudent actions aimed at undermining our national security, the most immediate task is to avoid any military clash of nuclear powers.”
It follows the permanent members of the UN’s security council, who have nuclear arsenals, releasing a joint-pledge at the turn of the year which agreed “a nuclear war cannot be won”.
On Wednesday the New York Times reported that senior Russian military leaders had discussed when and how Moscow might use a tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine, according to multiple senior US officials.
They said that the Biden administration was alarmed, as the news “showed how frustrated Russian generals were about their failures on the ground, and suggests that Mr Putin’s veiled threats to use nuclear weapons might not just be words”.
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