The Russian invasion

 

Archive image Grain is loaded onto a freighter in Izmail, Ukraine, April 2023. Andrew Kravchenko/AP  

The Russian invasion|The response of the outside world  

The grain agreement expires - Turkey wants to extend 90 days  

 

Turkey wants the grain agreement between Ukraine and Russia to be extended by three months, instead of two. This is stated by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at a press meeting together with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday, reports Bloomberg.  

 

The agreement – which means that grain cargo is freely chartered out of Ukraine from ports in the Black Sea – expires on July 17. Bloomberg describes the agreement as a lifeline for Ukraine's agricultural exports. If the agreement is not extended, food prices worldwide risk rising again. 

 

Turkey brokered the agreement together with the UN a few months after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Erdogan and Putin, 2016. Alexander Zemlianichenko / AP

  

Putin is to visit Erdogan in Turkey next month  

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin is planning a visit to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in August. Erdogan announced this at a press conference yesterday, after he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi. 

 

Erdogan did not share many details about what the two leaders will discuss, but said a possible prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine would be on the agenda. During the Saturday morning, he developed the answer somewhat.  

 

- I hope we see a result soon. If we speak on the phone before the meeting, we will discuss it then as well, he said according to Sky News.

 

Maria Zakharova. Alexander Zemlianichenko / AP  

 

Russian invasionRussian reactions 

Russia: The cluster bombs indicate weakness  

 

The US decision to give Ukraine cluster bombs indicates "weakness", says Kremlin spokesperson Maria Zacharova according to AFP. 

 

- It is a desperate act that shows weakness in light of the failure of the much cherished Ukrainian counter-offensive. 

 

Furthermore, she says that the weapons will have no impact on Russia's war effort, and that the Ukrainian promises to use them responsibly "are not worth water".  

 

The Russian army uses cluster bombs in Ukraine. In many parts of the world they are banned.  

 

Britain, Spain and several human rights groups have criticized the US decision.

Projectile from cluster bomb/Rishi Sunak.  

The Russian invasion|The response of the outside world 

British and Spanish criticism of US cluster bombs  

Britain and Spain are critical after the US announced that it will send cluster bombs to Ukraine.  

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says he "advises" the use of cluster bombs, pointing out that Britain is one of 123 countries that have signed a convention banning them, the BBC reports. Spain has also done that.

The country's Defense Minister Margarita Robles says that the Spanish position is that certain types of weapons and bombs should not be used under any circumstances, according to Reuters.  

- No to cluster bombs and yes to the legitimate defense of Ukraine, which in our opinion should not involve cluster bombs.

 

 

Ukrainian soldiers near Bachmut. Evgeniy Maloletka / AP 

 

Analysis: Biden's message is a signal that the war is going badly  

 

The US announcement that cluster bombs will be sent to Ukraine is a clear sign that the war is not going the way of the Ukrainians, writes Mark Stone in an analysis for Sky News.  

 

"The so-called spring offensive did not end during the spring and looks set to falter during the summer as well," he notes. 

 

Cluster munitions have been used by both Ukraine and Russia during the war but are banned in over a hundred countries because they pose a risk to civilians, especially children. Scattered projectiles can remain unfired for several years, and now it will be Ukraine's responsibility to - with promised help from the United States - clear up when the war is over, writes Stone.  

 

The White House's decision must have been preceded by agony and month-long discussions within the administration. The Washington Post's Aaron Blake points out that President Joe Biden has a complicated history when it comes to cluster bombs. Biden has struggled with the issue for over 40 years, and he has long been more permissive of the use of weapons than many of his party colleagues, writes Blake.

 

Ilhan Omar. Jose Luis Magana / AP 

 

Criticism of Biden's decision to send cluster bombs  

 

Human rights groups condemn US decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine, The Guardian reports.  

Over a hundred countries have banned the use of cluster bombs, as the projectiles that disperse and do not detonate risk causing civilian casualties for years to come.  

 

The US decision will now contribute to civilian casualties in Ukraine, according to the International Campaign Against Cluster Munitions. 

 

President Joe Biden is also criticized within his own party. Democrat Ilhan Omar says that the country should instead do everything to stop the use of the weapons.  

 

- If the US is to be a leader in international human rights, we cannot participate in human rights violations, she says.