Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday he spoke with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron about “ways to ensure the functioning” of the corridor established by Kiev in the Black Sea to ensure the safety of navigation after Moscow’s withdrawal from grain export agreement. “We also discussed ways to ensure the functioning of the grain corridor and strengthen the security of the Odessa region” in southwestern Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky said on X, formerly Twitter, after his telephone conversation with Emmanuel Macron.
This interview came on the eve of a summit in Russia between President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who wants to revive the grain agreement, and after the Russians bombarded the Odessa region with drones overnight from Saturday to Sunday. Recep Tayyip Erdogan is due to meet Vladimir Putin on Monday in Sochi, a Russian resort on the Black Sea. This week, Ukraine said four more ships had used its sea lane, which was set up on a provisional basis last month. Volodymyr Zelensky also thanked Emmanuel Macron for the “crucial military aid” provided by France to his country and said that the two men had “discussed the next steps” that will be taken in this regard.
Information to remember:
- Volodymyr Zelensky discussed with Macron the functioning of the maritime grain corridor in the Black Sea
- kyiv has broken through Russian defense lines in the south of the country, says a Ukrainian general
The Kiev army has made a major breakthrough in the Russian defense lines in southern Ukraine, one of its senior generals told the British daily The Guardian. “We are now between the first and the second line of defense” Russian, says General Oleksandr Tarnavskiy, in charge of the counter-offensive in the south, in this interview published this weekend, a few days the announcement by Kiev of a symbolic victory with the recapture of the village of Robotyne.
It then appears that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is increasingly rejecting criticism of the supposed slowness of the counter-offensive launched in June to retake the territories conquered by Moscow. “We are now in the process of destroying the enemy units responsible for protecting the Russian troops when they retreat behind their second line of defense”, assured the general, whose troops had liberated the city of Kherson (south) the last year. According to General Tarnavskiy, Moscow’s forces “were just standing still and waiting for the Ukrainian army” and they have now redeployed to the area.
“The evacuation of the wounded was difficult for us”
“The enemy is drawing on its reserves, not only in Ukraine but also in Russia. Sooner or later, the Russians will run out of their best soldiers. This will give us an opportunity to attack them more and faster,” the general said. . “It’s all to come,” he added. He also explains that the Ukrainian army was delayed in its counter-offensive because it “spent more time than expected clearing the territories” occupied by the Russians.
“Unfortunately, the evacuation of the wounded was difficult for us. And it also complicated our progress,” he added, admitting that Kyiv had suffered heavy losses. “The closer we get to victory, the more difficult it becomes. Why? Because unfortunately, we are losing the strongest and the best” soldiers, he explained. “Now we have to focus on certain areas and finish the job. It doesn’t matter how hard it is for each of us,” he added.