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Russia says the attack on Odessa targeted weapons depots containing Western anti-ship missiles.
The United States accused Russia of violating the terms of the agreement to resume grain exports by launching a missile attack on the Ukrainian port of Odessa.
Moscow acknowledges the attack, but says it targeted a modern weapons depot.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken accused Russia of exacerbating the global food crisis, and said the attack “casts doubt” on the credibility of Moscow’s commitment to the agreement.
On Saturday, he said, “Russia must stop its aggression and fully implement the grain deal it has agreed to.”
Ukraine’s Minister of Infrastructure, Oleksandr Kobrakov, said that technical work to prepare for grain shipments continues despite the bombing.
But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attack “proves that Russia will look for ways not to implement the agreement.”
Russia acknowledged the attack. However, Russian MP Yevgeny Popov told the BBC that only military infrastructure had been targeted, and that Moscow continued to respect the grain deal.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it used high-precision missiles to destroy what it called a warehouse of Harpoon anti-ship missiles that NATO provided to Ukraine.
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that “during our contacts with Russia, the Russians told us that they had absolutely nothing to do with this attack and that they were studying the issue closely and in detail.”
On Friday in Istanbul, officials from Kyiv and Moscow signed an agreement to allow the export of millions of tons of grain blockaded in Ukraine.
The United Nations hailed the agreement as a “beacon of hope” following months of fighting.
The deal, which took two months to negotiate, is set to run for 120 days, with a coordination and monitoring center in Istanbul staffed by UN, Turkish, Russian and Ukrainian officials. The agreement can be renewed with the consent of both parties.
Russia has long denied blocking Ukrainian ports, blaming Ukraine for laying mines at sea and Western sanctions for slowing Russian exports.
In a post on social media, the southern command center of the Ukrainian army said that two Kalibr missiles had hit the port, while another two were shot down by air defense systems.
But the center also said that the strike did not cause significant damage.
In another development, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Ukraine might not defeat Russia.
He said at an international conference that the war can only end with peace talks between Washington and Moscow.
“There is a need for a new strategy that focuses on peace negotiations rather than trying to win the war,” added Orban, whose views on the conflict often conflict with those of other EU leaders.
Josep Borrell, the European Union’s foreign affairs coordinator, said the attack on Odessa showed Russia’s “total disregard” for international law.
“Hitting a critical grain export target the day following the signing of the Istanbul Accords is particularly reprehensible,” he wrote on Twitter, adding that the EU “strongly condemns” the attack.
photo released, Eyewitness/Twitter
Snapshots from an eyewitness at the port
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres categorically condemned the attack, saying that the full implementation of the grain agreement is imperative.
The BBC’s Paul Adams in Kyiv says it is tempting to see the attack on Odessa as an attempt to spoil the grain deal.
But Adams says this appears to contradict Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu’s statements that Russia’s responsibilities are clearly defined.
In the latest fighting on the ground, British military officials said Russian forces in the Kherson region risked having their supply lines cut by Ukrainian forces.
Ukrainian forces used long-range missile systems provided by the United States to target the Antonovsky Bridge in Kherson.
And if the bridge is destroyed, Russian supply lines will be severely strained.
