US says Russian attack on Ukrainian port 'undermines' Kremlin's credibility

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - Russia's attack on the Ukrainian port city of Odesa, just one day after inking a long-anticipated deal on grain exports, "undermines" Moscow's credibility, the State Department charged on Monday.

Spokesman Ned Price said the Saturday strike further erodes Russia's "broader humanitarian commitment that it made" when it struck a deal to resume exports of foodstuffs from three key Ukrainian Black Sea ports, including Odesa.

"It also highlights, we believe, that Moscow continues to behave in ways that intentionally prevent desperately needed food from reaching many of the world's most poor, those who are suffering the most acute effects of the food insecurity that Moscow's invasion of Ukraine has exacerbated," he told reporters.

"We are clear-eyed going forward, but we also continue to expect that the Black Sea agreement will be implemented. We know that the world will be watching," he said, stressing that the agreement "needs to endure" to alleviate global hunger.

On Friday, Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed a landmark deal to resume grain exports through the Ukrainian ports of Odesa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny following months of blockage due to the Russia's war on Ukraine, now in its sixth month.

Under the deal, a joint coordination center was set up in Istanbul to carry out inspections at the entrances and exits of harbors, and to ensure the safety of the routes.

Russia claimed its weekend strike on Odesa targeted military infrastructure, saying the attacks destroyed a Ukrainian warship and Harpoon anti-ship missiles supplied by the US.

But UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "unequivocally" condemned the attack, saying "all parties" to Friday's pact "made clear commitments on the global stage to ensure the safe movement of Ukrainian grain and related products to global markets."