The Russian invasion of Ukraine is firmly in its second year. At the time of writing, Ukrainian forces are successfully holding a frontline in the far-eastern regions of the nation. After initial gains early in the war, Russian forces are currently limited to the regions of Crimea, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Luhansk, Mykolaiv, and Zaporizhzhia. However, fighting remains fierce, with Russian state media recently claiming Ukraine had launched a drone strike on the Kremlin. Ukraine denied the allegations, stating they only fought in their sovereign territory.
A key aspect of the way has been supplies. While foreign nations have been able to provide Ukraine with aid, it is still a dire situation for the nation's 43.79 million inhabitants. Tangentially, there has also been the issue of what Ukraine supplies the world. Ukraine is a major grain exporter. The European Commission estimates that Ukraine accounts for 10% of the global wheat market, 15% of the global corn market, and 13% of the global barley market. They could be a global crisis in regard to grain supplies if exports from Ukraine were to falter.
Ukrainian And Russian Officials Clash At Grain Talks
To prevent said global grain crisis, talks have been underway to ensure the safe passage of Ukrainian agriculture exports. The proposed solution would allow Ukrainian exports to cross the Black Sea. The Black Sea nations are currently meeting in Turkey to find a solution before the current grain agreement expires on May 18. While the main talks are occurring in Istanbul, the related Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization Parliamentary Assembly is happening in Ankara. During the summit, Ukrainian delegates had loudly protested as Olga Timofeeva, Deputy Head of the Russian Delegation and Deputy Head of the State Duma, spoke.
It was here that a physical altercation occurred between a Ukrainian and Russian official. Oleksandr Marikovskyi, a Ukrainian parliamentary member and economist, was posing for a photo while holding the Ukrainian flag. Valery Stavitskiy, the secretary of the Russian delegation, approached Marikovskyi and grabbed the flag out of his hands. Marikovskyi proceeded to chase Stavitskiy across the room, striking him several in the head and body before recovering the flag. Video of the altercation went public after being posted to Marikovskyi's Facebook page. Additionally, the caption "Paws off our flag, paws off Ukraine…" was included along with the video. Beyond the viral fight, talks are expected to conclude positively next week.
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