[Bigiron]

Russia is gaining advantage in eastern Ukraine as forces learn from earlier mistakes, US officials say - CNNPolitics
https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/23/politics/...index.html

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Russia Take Efforts To Start Grain Shipment From Zaporizhzhia

The seaports of Mariupol and Berdyansk are operating normally and are ready for grain shipment.”

Talks are underway between Russia and Turkey on a potential safe sea corridor in the Black Sea to export from Ukraine, according to the latest announcement from the defense ministries of both the countries on June 22.

These talks have also had a breakthrough, with a Turkish dry cargo vessel, the Azov Concord, safely leaving Mariupol, becoming the first foreign ship to leave the port since the onset of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

[Teeth53]

Russia Take Efforts To Start Grain Shipment From Zaporizhzhia

The seaports of Mariupol and Berdyansk are operating normally and are ready for grain shipment.”

Talks are underway between Russia and Turkey on a potential safe sea corridor in the Black Sea to export from Ukraine, according to the latest announcement from the defense ministries of both the countries on June 22.

These talks have also had a breakthrough, with a Turkish dry cargo vessel, the Azov Concord, safely leaving Mariupol, becoming the first foreign ship to leave the port since the onset of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/russia-ukraine-...ol/2619173

[Teeth53]

Azov Concord became the first foreign ship to leave the port with a grain shipment, after being stuck there for days. AP

Turkish dry cargo ship, Azov Concord, left on Wednesday Ukraine’s Russian-occupied port of Mariupol following a round of talks between Turkey and Russia in Moscow.

Azov Concord became the first foreign ship to leave the port with a grain shipment.

This came following a meeting between military delegations of Turkey and Russia in Moscow as part of the “red line diplomacy” carried out between the two sides for the departure of grain ships from Ukraine.

The meeting was held in a positive atmosphere and has already given the first results, Anadolu Agency reported.

The two delegations reached an understanding to hold a meeting in the next 10 days between the delegations of Turkey, Russia, Ukraine and the United Nations, possibly with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, to solve the food crisis and evacuate grain-laden ships waiting in Ukrainian ports. 

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Turkish sources told a local newspaper that the plan envisaged creating three corridors from Ukraine’s Black Sea port city of Odessa under Kyiv’s supervision, and that both Ukrainian and Russian food products would be shipped from there.

They said 30 million-35 million tons of grain could be shipped from the port in the next six to eight months.

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday that Ukraine and Russia are a long way from ending the war.

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As the impact of Western sanctions start to trigger more violent aftershocks... in the world economy, a backlash was also looming in other parts of the world.

Three invited guests at the G7 summit -- India, Senegal and South Africa -- have all shied away from condemning Russia over its invasion and all three face being hard hit by looming food shortages.

A fourth guest, Indonesia, while voting for Russia to withdraw from Ukraine in a March UN vote, has refused to bar Putin from the G20 summit it is hosting in November. Instead, it has invited Zelensky too to attend.

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Ukraine will be on the NATO agenda. As leaders will be keen to demonstrate their ironclad resolve to shield member states against Russia. As Turkey's opposition Finland and Sweden's membership bids looks set to tarnish the show of unity.

The remaining 29 NATO leaders will seek to get Turkish President Erdogan to move towards a compromise and Germany has sought to manage expectations, saying "would not be a catastrophe if we need a few more weeks" to reach an agreement.

The delay was an unwelcome distraction, and overshadows plans by the alliance to unveil plans to bolster its forces on its eastern flank with an eye to facing down Russia in the longer term.

NATO rushed tens of thousands of troops to eastern Europe in the wake of the invasion and members on Russia's borders were calling for major deployments to be stationed permanently as a new defensive wall.

Beyond Russia, the alliance will also update its "strategic concept" for the first time in a decade.
Crucially, it is not only expected to toughen its stance towards Russia but also mention the challenges posed by China for the first time.

[Teeth53]

https://youtu.be/uPVW2m5Tsl4