Russia rejoins key deal on wartime Ukrainian grain exports

Hopefully the Russians have also ensured the food will go to starving countries, not to Europe for the creation of ethanol as most was.

It's a comically farcical narrative to think that Ukraine connected power lines to the plant and is getting power without the Russians knowing that or being able to stop it.

Perhaps, but the Russians seem to show no signs of really knowing what they are doing anyway so it could be true.

Russia: we are withdrawing from this grain deal!

World: *continues as if nothing changed.

Russia: we are returning to this grain deal!

Great political moves there Russia....

That’s the thing about bluffing. You need to know when to stop before others figure out that you’re bluffing and get you out in the open.

Erdogan absolutely demolished Putin here. He may be a ***** but he’s a pretty fearsome diplomat.

he accused Russian forces of trying to prompt a serious humanitarian crisis.

"Trying to prompt a humanitarian crisis", that's one of the ways Russia has been successful, they have tried and have succeeded. Russia has oil and gas, wheat, and has clearly demonstrated it's adept at creating humanitarian crises, and their supporters cheer them on. In the above case 2 out of 3 isn't very good, except perhaps to sadists and others that actually seem to take pleasure in watching 'others' suffer.

Dysfunctional War

Russia: we are withdrawing from this grain deal!

World: *continues as if nothing changed.

Russia: we are returning to this grain deal!

Great political moves there Russia....

That’s the thing about bluffing. You need to know when to stop before others figure out that you’re bluffing and get you out in the open.

Nice fantasy but the reality is this:

Russia: Deal is off.

World: Whatever you say. We're carrying on with it.

Russia: No, you're not.

World: Damn! Lets get Erdogan to call and agree to whatever conditions the Russians set.

The result: The Black Sea is a Russian pond and no one will even try to make it otherwise.

Once again the world called Putin's bluff.

Don't back down, show strength, and he (&assoc.) will give in!

Ukraine will pevail!

After the grain ships carried on, Putin had no choice to come back with his tail between his legs and say "Ok, I'll support the deal".

“We demanded assurances and guarantees from the Ukrainian side that ... humanitarian corridors will not be used for military purposes,” Putin told a Security Council meeting, according to Russian state news agencies. “I have given instructions to the Ministry of Defense to resume our full participation in this work.”

They never had been Sevastopol is nowhere near the humanitarian corridor, so stop pretending it is.

Also, wait until Ukraine captures Kherson and moves further south. When Sevastopol gets into the range of HAMARS, Putin may want to move his fleet.

@broncx The nuclear plant is Russian controlled.

Why is Russia 'controlling' a nuclear plant outside its borders? Given how inept Russian forces have been shown to be, their 'control' of a nuclear plant is just one more thing to worry about. Or is Putin setting up another false flag operation? Russians and their useful idiots might believe Putemkin Villages are real. Reasonable people do not.

Axel

The result: The Black Sea is a Russian pond and no one will even try to make it otherwise.

And yet they couldn't defend a few ships against a drone attack in Sevastopol.

Wait until Ukraine moves south of Kherson. Sevastopol isn't safe when it gets within range of HIMARS.

The Russian leader praised Turkey’s mediation efforts to get the deal back on track as well as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s “neutrality in the conflict as a whole” and his efforts at “ensuring the interest of the poorest countries.”

Let's reality-check. The fact is, Russia first walked out of the negotiation table to try to disturb the other parties of three (Ukraine, Turkey and the UN) over the deal. They never faltered, kept shipping grains. So Russia had no way but to beg for own comeback to the seat at the table. Self-inflicting diplomatic humiliation :)

Let's reality-check. The fact is, Russia first walked out of the negotiation table to try to disturb the other parties of three (Ukraine, Turkey and the UN) over the deal. They never faltered, kept shipping grains. So Russia had no way but to beg for own comeback to the seat at the table. Self-inflicting diplomatic humiliation :)

Exactly. How many ships left on Monday? 12? Russia walking away from the deal meant nothing. Saying they “couldn’t” guarantee safe passage really meant they “wouldn’t”. Nothing happened to the ships that left Monday, and surprise, not a Russian warship in the vicinity.

The result: The Black Sea is a Russian pond and no one will even try to make it otherwise.

It only looks like a pond because the portion of the Black Sea that the Russians can use is now roughly pond-sized.

Merciful Russia, thank you..

Putin is unstable.

Haaa Nemui

Exactly. How many ships left on Monday? 12? Russia walking away from the deal meant nothing. Saying they “couldn’t” guarantee safe passage really meant they “wouldn’t”. 

Well, the only danger to the ships is attack from Russia, so of course they can easily guarantee safe passage. The only other military ships allowed in the Black Sea are Turkish.

I've been hearing about the grand offensive to take Kherson for months.

and we heard the special military operation would only last 3 days back in February. Funny how plans are forced to change sometimes.

In another development, Belarus and Russia began preparations Wednesday for large-scale joint military exercises. Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin didn’t specify either the dates on which the exercises, dubbed Union Shield-2023, will be held or the number of troops that will take part.

Union-Shield-2023? Does this give us any clue as to what they are planning and when?

Putin declared that Ukrainian forces launched attacks against Sevastopol without providing any evidence whatsoever. There is nothing to stop him from making up his own "facts" the next time Ukrainian forces strike back against the invaders. He is holding starving people hostage to his own megalomania.

What I meant to say is that Putin declared that the Ukrainian attacks came from the corridor used to ship grain. I did not mean to imply that the attacks against the Russian Fleet did not come from the Ukrainians.

and we heard the special military operation would only last 3 days back in February. Funny how plans are forced to change sometimes.

You may well have heard it but not from the Russians.

And operated by Ukrainian engineers since Russia can’t operate the plant

Say what?

You may well have heard it but not from the Russians.

Lukashenko. Not Russian, but he's been on their side from the start.

The nuclear plant is Russian controlled.

and run by Ukrainian engineers

Now why is that?

The power to Ukrainian lines is controlled by a switch. It can be turned off any any time.

The Russians are permitted electricity to flow to Ukraine.

All six reactors are off line so no electricity is flowing anywhere

It's a comically farcical narrative to think that Ukraine connected power lines to the plant and is getting power without the Russians knowing that or being able to stop it.

No where did it say that connecting the external power lines was clandestine. The power lines connected are to allow power from the Ukrainian grid into the plan to cool the fuel since the plant isn’t producing it’s own power.

Axel,

it's a fact (spelled F.A.C.T.)!

PUTAin declared it from the beginning as a "limited 3 day operation"!

Guess you didn't read the Russian news either?