Zelenskyy accuses Russia of intending “global catastrophe”

Hitting out at Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the attacks on Odesa port infrastructure showed Moscow’s intention of creating a “global catastrophe”, Al Jazeera reported on Wednesday. He further accused Moscow of creating a collapse of world food markets, price crisis and disruptions in supplies.
“For the Russian state, this is not just a battle against our freedom and against our country,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address on Wednesday.
“Moscow is waging a battle for a global catastrophe. In their madness, they need world food markets to collapse, they need a price crisis, they need disruptions in supplies,” Al Jazeera quoted Zelenskyy as saying.
Earlier on Wednesday, the port and industrial infrastructure of the Odesa region were damaged after Kyiv met with a barrage of drone attacks in the early hours of Wednesday, CNN reported citing the head of the Ukrainian regional military administration, Oleh Kiper. This came after both Russia and Ukraine accused each other of carrying cross-border attacks on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the strikes came soon after Ukraine shot down 10 drones over Kyiv early Wednesday, CNN reported. Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, confirmed about shooting down 10 drones over Kyiv, in a Telegram post early Wednesday. On Sunday, President Zelenskyy had warned that the war is “gradually returning” to Russia, adding that it is an “inevitable, natural and absolutely fair process.Gradually, the war is returning to the territory of Russia – to its symbolic centres and military bases, and this is an inevitable, natural and absolutely fair process,”.

TALKS OVER ‘BLACK SEA GRAIN DEAL’ INITIATIVE BETWEEN PUTIN & ERDOGAN
Turkish President Erdogan discussed the Black Sea grain initiative with Russian President Putin during a phone call. Both leaders agreed on Putin’s upcoming visit to Turkey. Erdogan emphasized the initiative’s role as a “bridge of peace” and urged against escalating tensions in the Russia-Ukraine war. He highlighted the adverse effects of a long-term shutdown on grain prices, citing a recent 15 percent increase after a 23 percent decrease during the initiative’s implementation. The statement underscores the importance of maintaining the initiative to prevent harm to countries in need of grain and those with low incomes.