Russia on Monday said it would resume its blockade on Ukrainian grain, terminating the U.N.-backed Black Sea Grain Initiative that had helped sustain critical food supplies and temper rising food prices around the world. “Corn, soybean and wheat all shot up today as a result of this decision,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said about prices on Monday. “We’re seeing the impact right now.”
After Ukraine’s pre-dawn attack Monday on a crucial bridge connecting mainland Russia and Crimea, which killed two people, a Kremlin official wrote early Tuesday on Telegram that part of the transit way had been reopened and posted videos of cars passing over it. Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed that Russia would respond to the incident.
Here’s the latest on the war and its ripple effects across the globe.
An Arctic ‘Great Game’ as NATO allies and Russia face off in far north: For several years, Western officials have been keeping a closer eye on the world above the Arctic Circle, knowing that melting polar ice will open new trade routes, propel a race for natural resources and reshape global security. But the war in Ukraine and the dramatic deterioration of relations with Moscow have put the frostbitten borderlands between Norway and Russia on heightened alert, while increasing the geostrategic importance of the Arctic, Emily Rauhala writes.
The result is an uptick in international interest — and diplomatic drama and intrigue abound. “We are definitely going to see more tacit power-balancing in this part of the world,” Marc Lanteigne, an associate professor of political science at the University of Tromso and an expert on Arctic affairs, told The Post. “And I wonder if Tromso is ready for it.”
>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : The Washington Post – https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/07/18/russia-ukraine-war-news/