Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has spoken with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the failure of a deal that would allow Ukrainian ships carrying grain to bypass a Russian blockade, while Moscow is ravaging Ukraine’s port infrastructure and begging that merchant ships in the Black Sea could be viewed as cargo ships for military purposes.
Moscow last week withdrew from the deal made under the auspices of Turkey and the United Nations, and efforts to revive it have faltered. Since its collapse, Russia has bombed Ukrainian ports, targeting grain storage facilities and other infrastructure, despite a largely quiet area overnight through Saturday.
“The world is once again on the brink of a food crisis because of Russia’s actions,” Mr Zelenskyy said wrote on Twitter later Friday. “A total of 400 million people in many countries in Africa and Asia are at risk of starvation. Together we must avert a global food crisis.”
Mr. Erdogan has been a key broker between Russia and Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion last February, and distinguishes himself from his NATO allies by maintaining friendly relations with Russian President Vladimir V. Putin. Mr Erdogan is expected to meet Mr Putin next month.
Mr Zelenskyi said he had discussed prospects for peace with Mr Erdogan and asked for help in repatriating prisoners of war, particularly those belonging to the Crimean Tatar ethnic minority.
During the meeting, “President Erdogan declared that Turkey is making great efforts to bring about peace,” according to the Turkish President’s Office said on Twitterand added that the call on Friday took place at the request of Kiev.
Russia has said it will extend the deal, but only if other countries lift the sanctions they imposed in response to the invasion of Ukraine, a move that seems unlikely. Moscow says the deal is not fair to Russia, and its producers are being forced to sell grain and other agricultural products at below-market prices.
On Friday, Mr Erdogan told reporters that Russia wants the grain corridor to remain in place, “but has some expectations of Western countries and they need to take action.” He said he would discuss the issue with Mr Putin on the phone and at their meeting.
Moscow’s decision to end the deal came just days after the Turkish leader held a cordial meeting with President Biden and said Ukraine “undoubtedly deserves NATO membership,” a move that potentially complicates relations with Mr Putin, who has blamed NATO expansion in part for his decision to invade Ukraine, and raised questions about the possibility of a revival of the deal.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken accused Russia of “weaponsing food stocks” in his speech at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado on Friday and said it was “very, very difficult” for Ukraine to resume shipments of grain and other foodstuffs.
A recent attack on the bridge linking Russia to the occupied Crimea peninsula, killing two civilians, has also fueled tensions in the region. A drone attack on an ammunition depot on the peninsula forced authorities to evacuate a five-kilometer radius and temporarily suspend traffic, the Moscow-installed regional governor said on Saturday.
Governor Sergei Aksyonov reported no damage or casualties. Videos shared by Russian state media showed a thick plume of smoke and the Ukrainian military confirmed an attack and said it destroyed an oil depot and warehouses.
Crimea was a key theater when Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and remains a key logistical hub for the war in Ukraine. Kyiv is launching increasingly daring attacks on the peninsula, although it has not publicly admitted the attack on the Kerch Strait Bridge.
In a video address at the Aspen Security Forum, an annual national security conference, on Friday, Mr Zelenskyy said the bridge was a legitimate target for Ukraine and that it should be destroyed.
“The aim is to return all of Crimea because this is our territory,” he said. “The Kerch Bridge is not a small logistics route. It serves to supply ammunition and militarize the Crimean peninsula.”
Zelenskyy also acknowledged that his country’s counter-offensive against entrenched Russian troops is progressing more slowly than expected because the operation started late.
“While we planned to start in the spring, we didn’t do it because, frankly, we didn’t have enough ammunition and armament, and we didn’t have enough well-trained brigades. I mean, properly trained in these weapons,” said Mr. Zelenskyy.
The late start, he said, “gave Russia time to mine our entire country and set up multiple lines of defense.”
Russia has had many months to prepare for the counteroffensive, and the front lines are littered with mines, tank traps, and buried troops, while Russian reconnaissance drones and attack helicopters fly overhead with increasing frequency.
Eric Schmitt contributed to the reporting.