The United Nations, Turkey and Ukraine reached an agreement on Sunday to unblock 16 grain ships in Turkish waters on Monday, a day after Russia announced the suspension of its participation in the agreement on grain exports from Ukrainian Black Sea ports. Read about the day’s events as they unfolded on our live blog. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
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10:22pm: JCC: Russia suspends role inspecting grain ships in Istanbul
Russia has suspended its participation in the inspection of cargo ships carrying Ukrainian grain, the Joint Coordination Centre, the body overseeing the deal, said late Sunday.
The announcement came a day after Russia suspended its participation in a landmark agreement that allowed vital grain exports to resume.
9:55pm: Zelensky: Ukrainian forces repel offensive in Donetsk region
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that Ukrainian forces had repelled a "fierce offensive" by Russian troops in the eastern Donetsk region.
Zelensky said a military unit from Chop in western Ukraine had undertaken the action, but did not say where the clash had occurred.
"Today they stopped the fierce offensive actions of the enemy," Zelensky said in his nightly address. "The Russian attack was repelled". The president also said Ukraine's "exchange fund" had been replenished, meaning Russian servicemen had been taken prisoner. The fiercest fighting in Donetsk region has been around the towns of Bakhmut and Avdiivka.
9:41pm: UN says agreed with Turkey, Ukraine on plan to move 16 vessels under Black Sea grain deal
The United Nations, Turkey and Ukraine agreed on Sunday on an October 31 movement plan for 16 vessels that are in Turkish waters, a day after Russia suspended its participation to the Black Sea grain initiative that allowed food exports from Ukrainian ports.
In a statement, the Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) in Istanbul, where Russian, Ukrainian and Turkish and UN personnel are working, said the three delegations had also agreed for inspections to be provided on Monday to 40 outbound vessels. JCC said the Russian delegation was informed of both plans.
4:41pm: Ukraine says 218 vessels blocked after Russian suspension of grain deal
A total of 218 vessels are "effectively blocked" due to Russia's decision to suspend its participation in a grain export deal, Ukraine's infrastructure ministry said on Sunday.
As Ukraine did not have permits from the scheme's Joint Coordination Center to pass through the safe corridor, "218 vessels are ...blocked in their current positions," the ministry said via the Telegram messaging app.
The ministry said 95 loaded vessels that had left Ukrainian ports were awaiting inspection for shipment to the final consumer, and 101 empty ones awaited inspection at the entrance to Ukrainian ports.
It said 22 ships with agricultural goods were waiting to leave Ukrainian ports.
Ukraine has said the deal, which unblocked three Black Sea ports, has allowed it to export around 9 million tonnes of agricultural cargo so far.
4:13pm: Turkish defence minister in talks with Kyiv and Moscow to resume grain deal
Turkey's Defence Minister is in talks with counterparts in Moscow and Kyiv to try to revive a UN-brokered deal for exports of Ukrainian grain, the ministry said on Sunday.
Hulusi Akar has asked parties to avoid any "provocation" that could affect the continuation of the deal, it said in a statement.
"The inspection of grain-laden vessels waiting in front of Bosphorus will continue today and tomorrow," the statement said.
Moscow suspended its participation in the Black Sea deal on Saturday, effectively cutting shipments from Ukraine, one of the world's top grain exporters, in response to what it called a Ukrainian drone attack on its fleet.
2:59pm: Russia says Crimea attack drones had Canadian-made parts
Russia on Sunday alleged that some of the drones used to attack its fleet in Crimea had "Canadian-made navigation modules", saying it had recovered debris from some of the weapons in the sea.
Moscow's defence ministry said its specialists had "conducted an examination of Canadian-made navigation modules installed on the marine unmanned vehicles".
2:54pm: NATO calls on Russia to urgently renew Ukraine grain deal
NATO on Sunday called on Moscow to urgently renew the UN-brokered deal that enabled Ukraine to resume grain exports via the Black Sea amid a global food crisis.
"President Putin must stop weaponising food and end his illegal war on Ukraine," NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said. "We call on Russia to reconsider its decision and renew the deal urgently, enabling food to reach those who need it most".
All NATO allies had welcomed the agreement that came about with the help of Turkey, she noted. "These exports have helped reduce food prices the world over," Lungescu added.
2:32pm: Ukraine says Russian blockade makes grain export 'impossible'
Kyiv's Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said on Sunday that Russia's suspension of a deal enabling grain exports from Ukrainian ports had made it "impossible" for full tankers to leave port.
"(A) bulk carrier loaded with 40 tons of grain was supposed to leave the Ukraine port today. These foodstuffs were intended for Ethiopians that are on the verge of famine. But due to the blockage of the 'grain corridor' by Russia the export is impossible," he tweeted.
The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres reacted to the Russian decision by expressing deep concern over the failure of the UN sponsored deal.
2:05pm: Russia says it has recovered drones used to attack its Black Sea fleet in Crimea
Russia's defence ministry on Sunday said it had recovered and analysed the wreckage of drones used to attack ships in Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Crimea the day before.
The ministry said its analysis showed that the drones were equipped with Canadian-made navigation modules for an attack that it said was carried out by Ukraine under British leadership, a claim Britain has denied.
1:16pm: Poland says it and EU partners ready to help Ukraine with goods transportation
Poland and its European Union partners stand ready to provide Ukraine with further help in the transportation of essential goods after Russia pulled out of a grain deal, the foreign ministry in Warsaw said on Sunday.
Russia's decision to exit the UN-brokered deal that enabled Ukraine to export grain via the Black Sea offered "yet more proof that Moscow is not willing to uphold any international agreements," the ministry added on Twitter.
12:27pm: Russia says its army repelled attacks by Ukrainian forces in three regions
The Russian army repelled attacks by Ukrainian forces in the Kharkiv, Kherson and Luhansk regions, Russian news agencies cited the defence ministry as saying on Sunday.
The ministry said Ukrainian artillery had fired near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, but that the radiation situation remained normal, TASS reported.
10:24am: France says no basis to Russian accusations against Britain
Russian accusations that Britain participated in attacks against the Nord Stream gas pipeline and Russian navy ships in Crimea are without foundation, France's foreign ministry said on Sunday.
The accusations formed part of Moscow's strategy "to turn attention away from its sole responsibility in the war of aggression that is it conducting against Ukraine", the ministry's deputy spokesperson said in a statement.
French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna tweeted, "By suspending its participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Russia aggravates the global food crisis caused by its agression against Ukraine."
9:35am: EU urges Russia to resume role in Ukraine grain export deal
The European Union on Sunday urged Russia to reverse its decision to suspend participation in a vital Ukraine grain export deal.
"Russia's decision to suspend participation in the Black Sea deal puts at risk the main export route of much-needed grain and fertilisers to address the global food crisis caused by its war against Ukraine," the bloc's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell tweeted. "The EU urges Russia to [reverse] its decision."
8:44am: Russia suspends participation in Ukraine grain deal
Moscow on Saturday suspended its participation in a landmark agreement that allowed vital grain exports from Ukraine, blaming drone attacks on Russian ships in Crimea.
Russia made the announcement after its army accused Kyiv earlier Saturday of a "massive" drone attack on its Black Sea fleet, which Ukraine labelled a "false pretext". The UN urged the deal's preservation.
US President Joe Biden called the move "purely outrageous" while Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Moscow was "weaponising food".
The July deal to unlock grain exports signed between Russia and Ukraine and brokered by Turkey and the UN is critical to easing the global food crisis caused by the conflict.
(FRANCE 24 with AP, AFP and REUTERS)
