After more than a year and a half of aggressive war against Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed at the general debate at the UN General Assembly in New York that Russia had no interest in a major war. At the same time, Lavrov described the UN proposals to revive the canceled grain deal as “not realistic”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj spoke to the UN General Assembly earlier this week and then visited Canada. On Saturday he made a stopover in Ireland and Poland on the way home.
Russia’s Lavrov: No interest in big war
Lavrov emphasized in New York that his country had no interest in a major war. “It is entirely up to us how the story will develop. It is in our common interest to prevent a downward spiral into large-scale war and the ultimate collapse of international cooperation mechanisms,” Lavrov said on Saturday. Lavrov did not mention the war in Ukraine.
Russia says UN grain deal proposals “not realistic”
Russia does not rate proposals by UN Secretary General António Guterres to revive the terminated agreement on the export of Ukrainian grain as productive. “We don’t reject them. They are simply not realistic,” Foreign Minister Lavrov said on Saturday. He emphasized again that despite the now suspended deal, Russia was not able to export its own grain and fertilizer as originally agreed.
A few weeks ago, Guterres made detailed proposals to Moscow so that Russia could end the renewed blockade of ports in the Black Sea and reinstate the agreement.
Zelenskyj is making a stopover in Poland and Ireland after a US visit
Ukrainian President Zelensky made stops in Poland and Ireland on his way home from North America. In Lublin, Poland, on Saturday he thanked the population of the NATO and EU country for their support of Ukraine’s defense against the Russian invasion. “I believe that all the challenges on our common path are nothing compared to the strength that exists between our peoples,” Zelensky said in a video on his Telegram channel.
Recently, a dispute between Kiev and Warsaw over the Polish import ban on Ukrainian grain came to a head – and is now also affecting the allies’ military cooperation. Poland now wants to limit its arms deliveries to Ukraine to contracts that have already been concluded.
Poland, like Slovakia and Hungary, maintained import restrictions on Ukrainian grain after the EU Commission lifted corresponding restrictions. This angered Kyiv.
Before arriving in Poland, Zelensky stopped in Ireland. There he also met the Sudanese army leader and de facto head of state Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan. According to Zelensky’s presidential office, the issues were Ukrainian grain exports, the World Peace Summit in New York in October and security issues in Africa. “Armed groups financed by Russia” are particularly a challenge.
Russian attack in Donetsk region: 74-year-old killed
A 74-year-old woman was killed in the town of Elitsavetivka in Russian attacks in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk. In the city of Avdiivka, a 44-year-old man was also injured by shell fire on Saturday, a spokeswoman for the region’s prosecutor’s office told the Suspilne Donbass broadcaster. According to Anastasia Medvedeva, Avdiivka was attacked with multiple rocket launchers in the afternoon. According to preliminary information, Elitsavetivka was shelled by cannon artillery.
According to official reports, 16 people were injured in Russian rocket attacks on the city of Kurakhove in the Donetsk region on Friday night.
2023-09-24 14:34:00
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