? Live: Russia pulls out of Black Sea grain deal; world leaders condemn move

5:20pm: Russian military pilot dies after jet crashes in Azov Sea, says official

A Russian pilot died after his Su-25 fighter jet crashed in the Azov Sea in the country’s south near Ukraine, an official said Monday.

“I express my condolences to the relatives of the victim who died when his Su-25 attack aircraft crashed during a training flight,” Roman Bublik, the head of the Yeisk district of the southern Krasnodar region, said on social media.

5:14pm: France calls on Russia to stop blackmail over grain deal suspension

France on Monday called on Russia to stop its blackmail over the grain deal suspension, the French foreign ministry said in a statement.

“France condemns Russia’s suspension of its participation in the Black Sea grain initiative,” the ministry said. “Russia is solely responsible for blocking navigation in this maritime space and imposes an illegal blockade on Ukrainian ports. It must stop its blackmail on world food security and reconsider its decision.”

4:44pm: Millions will ‘pay the price’ of Russia’s grain deal exit, says UN chief

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Monday that Russia’s decision to exit the Ukraine grain deal will “strike a blow to people in need everywhere.”

“Hundreds of millions of people face hunger and consumers are confronting a global cost-of-living crisis. They will pay the price,” the UN Secretary General told reporters in New York.

4:38pm: US ambassador to UN calls Russia’s grain deal exit ‘act of cruelty’

Russia’s exit from the Ukraine grain deal is an “act of cruelty,” the United States ambassador to the UN said Monday, accusing Moscow of holding “humanity hostage.”

“While Russia plays political games, real people will suffer,” Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

4:36pm: Russia suspending grain deal sends bad message, says Germany’s Scholz

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Monday that Russia’s refusal to extend the agreement that has enabled Ukraine to export grain from its Black Sea ports for the past year “sends a bad message” to the rest of the world.

“The fact that Russia does not want to extend the grain agreement sends a bad message … to the rest of the world,” Scholz said at a two-day EU-CELAC summit in Brussels.

“But everyone will understand what is behind it, namely an action that has a lot to do with the fact that Russia does not feel responsible for good coexistence in the world,” he said.

4:11pm: Russia tells UN shipping agency safety guarantees will be revoked with end of grain deal

Russia’s withdrawal from a deal allowing the safe Black Sea export of Ukraine grain means “the guarantees for the safety of navigation issued by the Russian side will be revoked,” Russia told the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the UN‘s shipping agency, according to an excerpt from the letter seen by reporters.

It also said “proactive necessary actions and response measures to neutralise threats posed by the Kyiv regime in the area will be taken, considering the continued armed provocations thereby and attempts to attack Russian military and civilian objects.”

4:04pm: Russia’s grain deal suspension will ‘harm millions’, says White House

Russia’s suspension of a pact that has allowed the Black Sea export of grain from Ukraine “will worsen food security and harm millions,” the White House said on Monday.

“We urge the Government of Russia to immediately reverse its decision,” White House National Security Council spokesperson Adam Hodge said in a statement.

3:44pm: Ukraine ready to continue exports despite Russian exit from grain deal, says Zelensky

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday that Ukraine is prepared to continue grain exports after Russia exited a landmark deal brokered with Turkey and the UN to unblock deliveries from the major producer.

“Even without the Russian Federation, everything must be done so that we can use this Black Sea corridor. We are not afraid. We have been approached by companies that own ships. They said that they are ready” to continue shipments, Zelensky said in comments distributed on social media by his spokesman Sergiy Nykyforov.

3:36pm: Belarus says it shot down Ukrainian reconnaissance drone

Belarus said on Monday that its border guards had shot down a Ukrainian reconnaissance drone that had crossed into its territory near the Dnipro river on Sunday.

The Belarusian border agency said “administrative proceedings” had been launched following the incident.

3:26pm: Destroyed Crimea bridge is the second line of supply for the Russian army

“There is no admission on the Ukrainian side that it indeed provoked the explosions which damaged the [Crimea] bridge,” said FRANCE 24 correspondent Emmanuelle Chaze.

“However … we [can] look at who can benefit from the bridge not functioning properly. It’s one of the two lines of supply for the Russian army,” said Chaze, pointing out that “if [the bridge] doesn’t function, it doesn’t only prevent hundreds of thousands of Russians who settled in Crimea from getting out, […] it prevents the Russian Defence Ministry from bringing supplies to the southern flank of the front line and this could prove very significant for the Ukrainian counteroffensive, should Russia be cut off from one of its main lines of supply.”

3:13pm: Russian fighter jet crashes into Sea of Azov near Russian coast, says local officials

A Russian Su-25 fighter-bomber crashed into the Sea of Azov near the town of Yeysk on Monday but the pilot ejected successfully, local officials said in a statement on social media.

Unverified videos shared on social media appeared to show a parachute descending over the sea near a beach, and a large splash in the water. Yeysk lies across the Sea of Azov from the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine’s Donetsk region.

The officials from Russia’s Krasnodar region said the pilot had been rescued from the water.

2:13pm: Russia says it will consider rejoining grain deal when it sees ‘results’, not ‘promises’

Russia said on Monday that it would be ready to consider rejoining the Black Sea grain export deal if it saw “concrete results”, but that so far its demands had not been met.

Its foreign ministry said in a statement that, despite UN efforts to prolong the deal, obstacles to Russian food and fertiliser exports remained.

“Only upon receipt of concrete results, and not promises and assurances, will Russia be ready to consider restoring the deal,” it said.

1:31pm: EU condemns Russia’s ‘cynical’ termination of grain deal

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called Russia’s decision to suspend the Black Sea grain export deal a “cynical move”.

The EU will continue to work towards ensuring food security for poor countries, she said in a message posted on Twitter.

1:11pm: Ukraine’s harvest ‘will not wait’: Farmers on edge as Russia halts grain deal

Russia said on Monday that it had halted participation in the crucial grain deal that had allowed Ukrainian cereals to be exported from the war-torn country’s Black Sea ports. The deal, which was struck last July, has helped stabilise grain prices and feed millions. FRANCE 24’s Mayssa Awwad and Georges Yazbek report from Ukraine’s agricultural heartland.

1:05pm: Erdogan says he believes Putin wants grain deal to continue

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin wants the Black Sea grain deal to continue.

“I think that despite today’s statement, my friend Putin wants to continue the agreement,” Erdogan told reporters.

Erdogan said he would discuss the deal, including the export of Russian fertiliser, with Putin when they speak in person during an expected meeting in August.

1:02pm: Russian exporters union says it plans to continue supplying grain

Russian grain exporting union Rusgrain has said its members planned to continue supplying customers with Russian grain at competitive prices, despite Moscow pulling out of the Black Sea grain export deal.

“Russia is the largest supplier of wheat to the world market … All contractual obligations of Russian grain exporters will be fulfilled,” it said.

12:26pm: UK sanctions Russian education minister for involvement in ‘forced deportation’ of Ukrainian children

The British government said on Monday it had added 14 new designations under its Russian sanctions regime, including the Russian Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova and Education Minister Sergey Kravtsov.

Lyubimova was sanctioned for providing support for promoting policies and actions which “destabilize Ukraine or threaten the territorial integrity”, Britain said.

Others, including Kravtsov, were sanctioned for their involvement in what Britain described as the Russian government’s “programme for the forced deportation and re-education of Ukrainian children“.

12:12pm: Germany says continuing to urge Russia to allow extension of grain deal

Germany on Monday urged Russia to return to the Black Sea grain deal that Moscow said had “de facto ended” hours before it was due to expire, noting it was crucial for food security.

“We continue to call on Russia to allow a further extension of the grain deal,” government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann told reporters, adding that the “conflict should not be carried out on the backs of the poorest on this planet”.

11:32am: Russia halts Black Sea grain deal

Russia said Monday it has halted an unprecedented wartime deal that allows grain to flow from Ukraine to countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia where hunger is a growing threat and high food prices have pushed more people into poverty.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced halting the deal in a conference call with reporters, adding that Russia will return to the deal after its demands are met.

“When the part of the Black Sea deal related to Russia is implemented, Russia will immediately return to the implementation of the deal,” Peskov said.

The breakthrough accord brokered by the UN and Turkey last summer enabled food to leave the Black Sea region after the Russian invasion.

Russia has complained that restrictions on shipping and insurance have hampered its exports.

9:32am: Ukraine responsible for Crimea bridge attack, says Russia

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has accused Ukraine of carrying out an attack on the bridge connecting Russia and Crimea, with the involvement of Britain and the United States.

Zakharova did not provide evidence to support the assertions.

“Today’s attack on the Crimean bridge was carried out by the Kyiv regime. This regime is terrorist and has all the hallmarks of an international organised crime group,” she said.

“Decisions are made by Ukrainian officials and the military with the direct participation of American and British intelligence agencies and politicians. The US and Britain are in charge of a terrorist state structure.”

9:27am: Senior politician says Russia should not renew grain deal after Crimea ‘terrorist attack’

A senior Russian politician has said Moscow should not renew the Black Sea grain deal due to an attack on the bridge linking Russia to Crimea.

Sergei Mironov, leader of the A Just Russia party in Russia’s parliament, said Moscow should respond by destroying Ukrainian infrastructure.

“That is what we need to do, and not discuss a grain deal that helps Kyiv’s rulers and their Western masters line their pockets. There can be no grain deal after another terrorist attack,” he said on Telegram.

8:55am: Section of Crimean bridge road split and sloping, video shows

Video shared by Ukrainian media appears to show that a section of road on the Kerch Bridge between Russia and Crimea has split and is sloping to one side, after an incident overnight that killed two people. The reports have not been independently verified.

8:08am: Ukrainian forces retake territory near Bakhmut, says defence ministry

Ukrainian forces have retaken several square kilometres of territory around the eastern city of Bakhmut, which Russian forces seized in May, according to the defence ministry.

“Over the past week, as a result of the improvement of the operational (tactical) position and alignment of the front line in the Bakhmut direction, the territory of seven sq. km (2.5 square miles) has been liberated,” Deputy Defence Minister Ganna Malyar said on Telegram.

Ukraine last month began its highly anticipated counteroffensive against entrenched Russian troops. Kyiv has recently acknowledged difficult battles and called on the US and other allies to provide long-range weapons and artillery.

Bakhmut, once home to 70,000 people and known for its sparkling wine and salt mine, has been destroyed by the longest and bloodiest battle of the war.

7:57am: Railway traffic on Crimea bridge resumes, says Russian media

Railway transport between Crimea and Russia resumed after an emergency incident on the Crimea bridge, reported Russia’s TASS news agency.

A train left the Crimean city of Kerch en route to Moscow via the bridge, the agency said.

The Russian-installed head of Crimea’s parliament said on Monday that Ukraine was behind an incident on the Crimea bridge that killed two people, the state RIA news agency reported.

He was quoted as saying that the bridge had been attacked by what he called Ukraine’s “terrorist regime” and that the railway part of the bridge was not damaged.

7:02am: Traffic on Crimea bridge interrupted amid blast reports

Traffic on the key bridge connecting Crimea to Russia has been halted amid reports of explosions.

The health ministry in Russia’s Krasnodar region, which lies at the eastern end of the bridge, said two people were killed in an unspecified accident on the bridge and their daughter was injured.

The governor of Crimea, which was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, announced the closure early Monday but did not specify the reason.

News reports said local residents heard explosions before dawn, but there was no confirmation.

The extent of the damage was not immediately clear, but Governor Sergei Aksyonov said he expected rail traffic on the bridge to resume within several hours.

The 19-kilometre (12-mile) bridge that was opened in 2018 is the main land connection between Russia and the Crimean peninsula.

The bridge that spans the Kerch Strait was damaged in October by a truck bomb and required months of repairs before resuming full service.

6:43am: Clock ticking on Black Sea grain deal

The clock was ticking down Monday on the deal that allows Ukraine to export its grain via the Black Sea, with the agreement set to expire at midnight Istanbul time.

There was no word from talks in Istanbul, where Turkish and UN officials are trying to persuade Russia to agree another extension of the deal first signed there in July 2022.

Russia’s TASS state news agency reported that while the deal had not been extended as of late Sunday, “everything is possible”, citing two unnamed UN sources.

“We are waiting for Moscow’s position, everything is possible,” TASS cited one of the sources as saying.

Key developments from Sunday, July 16:

Russia thwarted a Ukrainian drone attack near Sebastopol, a crucial port in Moscow-annexed Crimea, Russia’s defence ministry said Sunday morning. Moscow’s air defence forces and Black Sea fleet reportedly took out a total of nine drones during the assault, which the ministry said caused no damage or casualties.

President Vladimir Putin said that Russia would use its own cluster bomb stockpiles if the munitions, which the US said it would give to Kyiv, were used against Russian forces in Ukraine.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)

(C) France M?dias Monde graphic studio