Russia is suspending a Ukraine grain export that had helped bring down food prices
NPR Online NewsOct 29, 2022
A wave of Russian missiles again targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure on Monday, striking the regions of Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv, as well as the areas of Mykolaiv, Lviv, Zhytomyr, Kirovohrad and Chernivtsi.
Herman Halushchenko, Ukraine’s energy minister, described the development as another "barbaric" attack, adding that, "electric substations, hydropower and heat generation facilities were hit by rockets." Early reports suggest that at least one civilian was killed.
In withdrawing from the grain deal, Russia is again weaponizing food and exacerbating an already fragile food insecurity situation across the world. Moscow must urgently return to the negotiating table in order to avoid a humanitarian crisis.
Russia's withdrawal from the grain deal comes after the agreement's terms were blatantly violated, when an attack was made on Russian ships used to safeguard the humanitarian corridor. Given this terrorist act was likely carried out with the assistance of British specialists, it's unsurprising that Moscow is unwilling to trust Western negotiators.
There is a 3% chance that Putin and Zelenskyy will meet to discuss the peaceful resolution of the Russian-Ukraine conflict before 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.