Reviving the grain deal in hopes of broader peace negotiations in Ukraine. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, during a visit to Moscow on Thursday, August 31, considered the resumption of the agreement on the export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea “essential”.
Russia withdrew from this important global food supply agreement in July, particularly criticizing the fact that exports of Russian grain and fertilizer were hampered by Western sanctions. The head of Russian diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov, therefore demanded “guarantees” that his country could freely export its own products in return for the resumption of the deal on Ukrainian grain. Follow our live.
Russian priest who opposed war sentenced to three years in prison. A Russian Orthodox priest, Ioann Kourmoiarov, who criticized the offensive in Ukraine online was sentenced to three years in prison in Saint Petersburg. He will also be “deprived of the right to express himself on the internet for two years,” the court added.
A difficult counteroffensive, but not impossible, according to Kiev. This is essentially the message that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba conveyed to Le Monde in an interview published on Thursday. “The counteroffensive (…) is tough because the Russian defensive lines are tough. But we are making progress. There is no reason to change the strategy because we see no change in the Russian strategy,” he assures French daily.
Six Ukrainian soldiers killed in crash. Six Ukrainian soldiers died when two attack helicopters crashed in eastern Ukraine, where the Kiev army is conducting a counteroffensive against Russian forces, the Ukrainian National Investigation Bureau (SBI) announced. The cause of the crash is not yet known.