We won’t be the first to deploy weapons in space. Russia signed an agreement with Uganda

The foreign ministers of Russia and Uganda, Sergey Lavrov and Jeje Odongo, signed a joint declaration by the countries that they will not be the first to deploy weapons in space. This was reported by the Russian agency TASS. At the joint meeting, the ministers also discussed the agreement on the transportation of grain across the Black Sea.

The ministers signed the document after a joint meeting in Moscow. According to the TASS agency, the statement is the result of a Russian initiative joined by several dozen countries. At the meeting with Lavrov, Odongo also addressed the agreement on the transportation of agricultural products from Ukrainian ports across the Black Sea.

The Ugandan foreign minister called on stakeholders to take into account the plight of many African countries that depend on grain from Ukrainian ports. “Quite a lot of African countries, especially in the northern part of Africa, are dependent on grain,” Odongo said, according to African media. “We understand the difficult situation. However, we think that whatever should be done should be done for the benefit of those in need, not to exploit their need for the benefit of others,” he said at a press conference.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Wednesday, according to Reuters, that Russia had agreed to extend an agreement to transport agricultural commodities from Ukrainian ports across the Black Sea, which was due to expire on Thursday. According to him, the convention is being extended by two months. Before that, it was twice extended by 60 days.

“Thanks to the efforts of our country, with the support of our Russian friends and with the contribution of our Ukrainian friends, it was decided to extend the agreement on the Black Sea Grain Corridor for another two months,” Erdogan said, according to Turkish media. According to him, this is a key decision to ensure trouble-free food supplies in the world.

“The extension of the grain agreement is for two months,” subsequently confirmed the spokeswoman for Russian diplomacy, Marija Zakharova. According to her, it is necessary to correct the “distortion” of the fulfillment of the agreement as quickly as possible. Russia has long been claiming that the part of the agreement that provides for the removal of obstacles to the export of Russian food and fertilizers is not being fulfilled.

“We welcome the continuation of the initiative, but we emphasize that it must work effectively,” responded Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov. He called on Russia to stop using the agreement as a weapon and blackmail. Ukraine claims that Russia has been restricting the implementation of the agreement for no reason since mid-April. Kyiv also wanted the agreement to be extended for a longer period.

“This extension is good news for the world,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who expressed hope that the agreement could be further improved and extended for a longer period. However, he admitted that not all issues could be resolved. According to him, the agreement is important for world food security.

On Wednesday, the DSM Capella vessel headed for Turkey with a cargo of 30,000 tons of corn left Ukraine’s Chornomorsk, according to Reuters, based on data provided by the United Nations. But Ukraine claims that the pace of inspections of ships sailing to Ukrainian ports has slowed down significantly in recent weeks. According to her, approximately 70 ships are waiting for inspection in Turkish waters, and since May 6, no ship bound for Ukrainian ports has been allowed into the Black Sea.

The agreement since last July has allowed the export of about 30 million tons of food from Ukrainian ports, which were previously closed by the war launched by Russia. According to the UN, exports have contributed to the reduction of world food prices and helped a number of developing countries in particular. It is to them that a significant part of Ukrainian grain goes. The agreement was last extended in March, and as of last week, representatives of Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations have been discussing another extension.