CONFLICTSUKRAINE
Ukraine updates: PM tells pope call with Xi was productive
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Ukraine’s Prime Minister Shmyhal discussed Kyiv’s formula for peace during talks at the Vatican. Meanwhile, Russia said it found the implementation of the grain deal “unsatisfactory.” DW has rounded up the latest.
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Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal told reporters in Italy on Thursday that he discussed with Pope Francis Kyiv’s formula for peace after Russia’s invasion.
The pope hosted Shmyhal at the Vatican on Thursday morning, when the latter invited him to visit Ukraine.
“We discussed the (Ukrainian) peace formula, and a potential path and assistance from his holiness and the Vatican to achieve all the steps of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s peace formula,” Shmyhal said.
The Ukrainian prime minister also said in the press conference that the call between the leaders of China and Ukraine the day before was productive. He added that it could be a very positive beginning for future relations.
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The Kremlin also commented on the phone call, saying it welcomed any attempt to end the conflict in Ukraine, but on Moscow’s terms.
“We are ready to welcome anything that can bring forward the end of the conflict in Ukraine and the achievement of Russia’s goals,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
The pope and Shmyhal last met in a private audience in early 2021 before Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Since the escalation, Pope Francis has repeatedly called for fighting to end and for prayers for people in Ukraine. However, he has been less critical of Russian leadership than the Ukrainian government believe would be appropriate, despite some speeches that were fairly pointed.
Here are some of the other headlines concerning Russia’s war in Ukraine on Thursday, April 27:
German minister calls for Russia to honor grain deal
Germany’s Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir demanded that Russia “must live up to the commitment” it made to allow grain to leave Ukrainian ports, stressing how Ukraine and other countries depend on it.
“Ukrainian grain must arrive where it is needed — namely in the countries of the Global South,” Özdemir told the German news website t-online. He said the income from selling the grain was also vital for Ukraine’s survival as the war against Russia’s invasion goes on since February of 2022.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was again using the grain deal to try to destabilize the region and end West-imposed sanctions, Özdemir said in the interview published on Thursday.
“The fact that Russia wants to let the agreement expire already in mid-May — 60 days before the actual agreed deadline — in violation of the agreement is simply irresponsible. Putin is accepting the loss of human life for his criminal war of aggression.”
Russia had blocked Ukraine’s Black Sea ports for months when the war began, preventing the export of grain and prompting fears of soaring prices or famine in some areas as Ukraine is one of the largest suppliers of grain worldwide.
The UN and Turkey then brokered an end to the blockade by establishing the grain agreement, freeing millions of tons of grain and other foods.
Moscow ‘dissatisfied’ with grain deal implementation
Russia meanwhile said that the deal could only be saved if it was implemented fully, as Moscow threatens not to extend the deal beyond May.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova appeared to imply that only Ukrainian grain and fertilizer was being allowed safe passage.
“[The deal] is not a buffet you can pick and choose from,” Zakharova said.
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One killed, several injured in Mykolaiv
One person was killed while 23 people — including a child — were wounded in a Russian missile strike on an apartment block in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, Ukrianian officials said.
“At night, Russia bombarded Mykolaiv with four Kalibr missiles launched from the Black Sea,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on the Telegram app. “The high-precision weapons were aimed at private houses, a historic building, and a high-rise building.”
Zelenskyy posted a video which showed badly damaged buildings with smashed windows and smoke rising above the roofs.
Russia has denied deliberately targeting civilians and housing areas since it invaded Ukraine.
Mykolaiv is a shipbuilding center and port, which had a population of about 470,000 people before the war started.
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mk/msh (dpa, Reuters)
