Russia has halted its participation in the deal brokered by the UN to secure grain shipments from Ukraine, citing a drone strike on its fleet in Crimea which it blamed on Ukrainian forces working with the assistance of the British navy.
Russia’s defense ministry reported that Ukraine attacked its fleet on Saturday morning, using 16 drones with support from British navy “specialists”.
“The Russian side suspends participation in the implementation of agreements on the export of agricultural products from Ukrainian ports,” the defense ministry said in a statement.
US President Joe Biden criticized the decision as “purely outrageous” and said it would put more pressure on global supply chains already struggling due to the impact of the ongoing war.
Britain strenuously denied the Russian accusations of involvement, which included allegations that the British navy were also involved in attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines last month.
Russia has also requested that the UN Security Council convene on Monday to discuss the incident, according to a tweet by Russia’s Deputy UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called for a strong international response from global leaders, going as far as to suggest that Russia should be expelled from the G20 group of major economies.
“This is a completely transparent attempt by Russia to return to the threat of large-scale famine for Africa, for Asia,” Zelenskiy said in a video message, adding that Russia should be expelled from the G20.
The European Union released a statement saying that “all parties must refrain from any unilateral action that would imperil” the deal, which it described as “critical”.