Turkish President Recep Tayyp Erdogan has announced that an agreement has been reached between Moscow and Kiev, mediated by Turkey, on the grain blocked in Ukrainian ports due to the war.
Ankara explained that the signing of the agreement should take place in the next few hours, effectively unblocking exports, a news also welcomed by the United States.
On the fighting front, in the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, which is under Russian control, the forces of Moscow would like to store their "entire military arsenal". According to reports from Ukrainska Pravd, Energoatom, a state-owned company that supervises nuclear plants in the country, would have made it known. The Kremlin troops would in fact have asked for access to the engine room of the first, second and third units.
But precisely on Zaporizhzhia, Moscow warns: "If you hit the reactors or the cooling plant, you risk blowing up half of Europe ", says Yevgeny Balitsky, the head of the Russian civil-military administration of the region in southern Ukraine where he is located the nuclear power plant.
Meanwhile, the European Union has confirmed the fifth tranche, worth 500 million euros, of military aid to Ukraine.
On gas, on the other hand, the Kremlin accuses the European Union: "The technical problems with the flows through Nord Stream 1 are caused by EU sanctions", says spokesman Dmitri Peskov.
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The day by the hour:
Moscow-Kiev agreement on wheat
"Russia-Ukraine wheat agreement, signature tomorrow". Erdogan's government announces it.
Moscow: "Risks for half of Europe from the raid on Zaporizhzhia"
"If the reactors or the cooling plant are hit, it risks blowing up half of Europe." Thus Yevgeny Balitsky, the head of the Russian civil-military administration of the region in southern Ukraine where the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant is located, commented in an interview with Russian TV on the situation of the site, which according to the Russians was always attacked yesterday by the Ukrainians with the use of kamikaze drones which caused 11 injuries. Tass reports it. Kiev accuses the Russian forces of storing a large number of weapons, including tanks and missile systems, at the plant.
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Lukashenko: "Stop the war to avoid the nuclear precipice"
The West, Ukraine and Russia must end the conflict to avoid the "precipice" of "nuclear war". This was stated by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Moscow's main ally, in an interview with AFP. In any case, according to Lukashenko "it all depends on Ukraine, because at this point the war could end in better conditions for them". Hence, the Kiev government "must sit down at the negotiating table and agree to never threaten Russia".
"We have to stop, reach an agreement, put an end to this chaos," said Lukashenko. "Let us stop and then we will find out how to continue living. There is no need to go further. Farther away is the abyss of nuclear war. There is no need to go there."
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Peskov: "Putin is fine, disinformation from Kiev, the US and the UK"
The health of Russian President Vladimir Putin is good. This was reiterated once again by the spokesman of the Kremlin Dmitry Peskov. "Everything is fine, he is in good health", he assured today speaking with reporters, according to reports from Tass. Peskov pointed the finger at "the Ukrainian, American and British media specialists who have launched various fakes about the president's health in recent months. But they are nothing but fakes, we assure you," he said.
As for the cough problems that Putin encountered yesterday, during a forum, which the Russian president attributed to air conditioners during his visit to Tehran the day before, Peskov said: "It happens, it's not who knows what ..." .
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Pelosi to Blinken: "Designate Russia as a sponsor state of terrorism"
The State Department must designate Russia a 'sponsor of terrorism' or Congress will. This is the message sent by the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Politico reports it citing some sources, according to which Pelosi would have delivered his message during a telephone conversation with Blinken in recent days.
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Kremlin: "Problems with gas caused by EU sanctions"
The "technical problems" with Russian gas flows through Nord Stream 1 are caused by EU sanctions. This was stated by the spokesman of the Kremlin, Dmitri Peskov.
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Moscow: "For us Italy is sovereign, for others we don't know"
"We have always considered Italy a sovereign and independent country. If it is not considered as such elsewhere, this has nothing to do with Russia". This was stated by the spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, answering a question about alleged attempts to destabilize Moscow. "The work of the Draghi government should be evaluated by the Italians," the spokeswoman added. "Italy is a sovereign, independent country that shouldn't depend on anyone - insisted Zakharova -. I don't understand why there is an internal need to explain what happens with external factors".
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Moscow, Ukrainian attacks point to nuclear accident
"The attacks by the Ukrainian army on nuclear sites show the intention to create the conditions for a nuclear disaster in Europe". This was stated today by the spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, after yesterday's Russian sources denounced a drone attack on the Zaporizhzhia plant with a toll of 11 injured. The same sources had said that service buildings had been hit but none of the six reactors of the plant, which is the largest in Europe.
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Kiev, Russians bomb Kharkiv. 2 dead and 19 injured
Two people died and 19 were injured this morning in a Russian bombing raid on Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine, according to the head of the regional military administration, Oleg Sinegubov, quoted by Ukrainska Pravda. The mayor, Igor Terekhov, said the bombing took place in a densely populated area.
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Nord Stream, gas flow returns to 40% as before closing
Russian gas supplies through Nord Stream 1, which reopened this morning, have reached the level of 40%, as before the pipeline was closed for maintenance on 11 July. This was reported by Tass citing the Nord Stream AG consortium. The pipeline reopened as scheduled at 7 am Moscow time (6 am Italian time). According to the Ukrainian gas transport operator Ogtsu, Gazprom's supplies via Ukraine also continue, which today should reach 42.4 million cubic meters.
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Medvedev, "Ukraine could disappear from the world map"
"As a result of all that is happening, Ukraine could lose the remnants of its state sovereignty and disappear from the world map." Former Russian President Dmytri Medvedev, current deputy head of the Council of national security.
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Kiev, 358 children killed by the Russians since the beginning of the invasion
Russian troops have killed at least 358 children in Ukraine since February 24, according to data, updated to date, provided by the Ukrainian Attorney General's Office and reported by the Ukrinform agency. "To date, more than 1,039 children have suffered in Ukraine as a result of Russian armed aggression. According to official information provided by the juvenile courts: 358 children have been killed and more than 681 have suffered injuries of varying degrees of severity," he said. written the press service of the Pgu on Telegram. The figures - specifies the Prosecutor's Office - are not definitive, as they do not consider various areas where hostilities are taking place.
(Unioneonline)