Russian FM Lavrov reassures Cairo Egypt will receive purchased Russian grain ‘in full’

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has reassured Egyptian leaders that their orders for Russian grain will be “fully” met as he commenced a tour of African nations that are dependent on imports for their food supply.

On Sunday, Lavrov gave the reassurance to his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shokry in the capital Cairo, reiterating that Russian grain exporters are committed to their contract liabilities.

“We confirmed the commitment of Russian exporters of cereal products to meet their orders in full,” Lavrov told a joint press conference after talks with Shoukry, adding Russian “President Vladimir Putin stressed this during a recent telephone call with Egyptian President (Abdel Fattah) al-Sisi.”

The development came just two days after Russia and Ukraine signed a landmark deal with the United Nations and Turkey aimed at relieving a global food crisis triggered by blocked Black Sea grain deliveries due to the current war in Ukraine.

Since Moscow began its military operation in Ukraine on February 24, between 20 million and 25 million tons of grain has been blocked in Ukrainian ports, as Ukraine has purportedly laid naval mines to prevent what it called an amphibious invasion of its coast.

Under the deal, safe corridors for grain exports from three Ukrainian ports will be created. Furthermore, the deal seeks to facilitate Russian grain exports by removing them from the scope of Western sanctions, which have been imposed on Russia over its operation in Ukraine.

“The (UN) secretary general (Antonio Guterres) took responsibility for lifting these illicit restrictions, imposed by the United States and the European Union against (Russian) financial and supply chains,” Lavrov added.

Prior to the operation, Russia and Ukraine accounted for 85 percent of Egypt’s wheat imports.

After concluding his trip to Egypt, Lavrov will visit Uganda, Ethiopia and Congo.

Global food crisis expected to ease as Russia, Ukraine ink grain deal

Russia and Ukraine sign a deal on the resumption of grain export, raising hopes for resolving the looming food crisis.

Ukraine’s Kherson will be 'liberated' from Russia by September: Official

Separately on Sunday, Sergiy Khlan, an aide to the head of Kherson region, said in an interview with Ukrainian television that Ukraine’s southern region of Kherson, which has been for months under the control of Russian forces, would be recaptured by Ukrainian troops by September.

“We can say that the Kherson region will definitely be liberated by September, and all the occupiers' plans will fail,” he said.

Since the beginning of the operation, the US and its European allies have been pouring advanced weapons into Ukraine to help its military to fend off Russian forces, despite Moscow’s repeated warnings that such a flood of weapons will only prolong the war.

The Ukrainian army, now emboldened by deliveries of Western-supplied long-range artillery, has been recapturing territory in the southern Kherson region in recent weeks.

Ukraine urges residents in southern Kherson to evacuate ahead of counterattack

The government in Kiev has called on civilians in the Russia-controlled southern region of Kherson to urgently evacuate ahead of a Ukrainian military operation against Russian forces.

“We can say that a turning point has occurred on the battlefield. We see that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are prevailing in their most recent military operations,” Khlan said. “We see that our armed forces are advancing openly. We can say that we are switching from defensive to counteroffensive actions.”

The official, then, claimed the Ukrainian military strikes on two key bridges in the region, as well as attacks on Russian arms depots and command posts, were just paving the way for a ground offensive.

“Now the key issue is getting more precision artillery strikes on the frontline to knock out the Russians from their current positions,” Khlan said.

Russia seized Kherson, the region’s main city, on March 3. It was the first major city to fall following the beginning of Russia’s military operation.

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