Live blog: Türkiye is working to renew Black Sea grain deal - Cavusoglu

 

Pressure from Russian forces mounts on Ukrainians hunkered down in Bakhmut, as residents begin to flee with help from troops who analysts say may be preparing to withdraw from the key eastern stronghold as fighting enters its 375th day.

 

The Black Sea Grain Initiative brokered by Türkiye and the United Nations last July allowed grain to be exported from three Ukrainian ports. (AA Archive)

Sunday, March 5, 2023

0740 GMT — Türkiye says working to renew Black Sea grain deal

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said that Ankara is working hard to extend the UN-backed initiative that has enabled Ukraine to export grain, which was paused after the Russia-Ukraine conflict began last February.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative brokered by Türkiye and the United Nations last July allowed grain to be exported from three Ukrainian ports.

The agreement was extended in November and will expire on March 18 unless an extension is agreed upon.

"We are working hard for the smooth implementation and further extension of the Black Sea grain deal," Cavusoglu said in a speech at the United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries being held in Doha, Qatar.

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08:43 GMT — Death toll from Russian missile strike in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia rises to 13
The death toll from a Russian missile strike in southeastern Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region rose to 13, according to Ukraine’s emergency services.

 

A five-story building in Zaporizhzhia was hit by a Russian missile this week, while “debris and the blast wave damaged high-rises located nearby, as well as vehicles of residents,” a statement by the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office said following the attack.

"State Emergency Service of Ukraine (DSNS) personnel, with 60 rescuers and 13 equipment, rescued 11 people, as well as four cats and a dog, while 101 employees from various services and 23 pieces of equipment are involved in search and rescue work at the building targeted," a statement by DSNS said on Telegram.

08:21 GMT — Russian lawmaker says US forcing European states to finance Ukraine against well-being of citizens
The US is forcing European states to finance Ukraine against the well-being of their own citizens, the head of the Russian State Duma said.

“The US is forcing the states of Europe to finance the Kiev regime at the cost of the well-being of their own citizens. But, as it turns out, they bear costs much less than others,” Vyacheslav Volodin said on Telegram.

Volodin noted that, in terms of spending, the US utilises 0.37 percent of the share of its GDP, which he said is 5.7 times less than Poland's.

 

Pressure from Russian forces mounts on Ukrainians hunkered down in Bakhmut, as residents begin to flee with help from troops who analysts say may be preparing to withdraw from the key eastern stronghold as fighting enters its 375th day

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0323 GMT — Russian minority shuns Estonia's vote over Ukraine support
Put off by the Estonian government's hawkish stance on Russia, many Russian speakers are expected to stay away from elections even though they oppose the war in Ukraine.
"A very big part of the Russian-speaking population of Estonia has definitely kept strong ties to Russia," said Rein Toomla, a political expert from the Johan Skytte Institute.
"They experience painfully Estonia's and the rest of the democratic world's current policy towards Russia," he said.
0305 GMT — Ukrainian pilot pair in Arizona to fly military simulators: US officials
Two Ukrainian pilots are in Arizona to fly flight simulators and be evaluated by the US military, two US officials said, as Washington remains mute on whether it will send fighter jets or sophisticated remotely piloted drones to Kiev.
The Arizona "familiarization event" is a first and will facilitate dialogue between Ukrainian and US personnel and provide an opportunity to observe how the US Air Force operates, a US defense official said, speaking on condition of anonymity."This event allows us to better help Ukrainian pilots become more effective pilots and better advise them on how to develop their own capabilities," the defense official said.
0015 GMT — Ukraine says Russia is failing to encircle Bakhmut

The Ukraine armed forces' general staff has said that Russian troops were trying but failing to surround eastern Bakhmut, adding defenders had repelled numerous attacks in and around the city.

The battle has raged for seven months. A Russian victory in the city, which had a pre-war population of about 70,000 and has been blasted to ruins in the onslaught, would give Moscow the first major prize in a costly winter offensive.

Oleh Zhdanov, a prominent Ukrainian analyst of military affairs, said that he could not detect any immediate signs Kiev was going to order a retreat from the city.

"At the moment the situation is more or less stabilised. In terms of the advancement of Russian troops, we practically stopped (it)," he said in a YouTube interview.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has described Bakhmut as a "fortress", thanked defenders in the city in a fresh video message but gave no details of the fighting.

 Source: TRTWorld and agencies

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 (With input from news agency language) 

 

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