2:48 p.m. UT. Ukraine thanks UN and Turkey for extending grain deal
Ukraine’s Infrastructure Minister thanked the UN and Turkey for the extension of the international agreement on the export of Ukrainian grain.
“The Black Sea Grain Initiative is extended for 120 days. We thank UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and (Turkish Defense Minister) Hulusi Akar and all our partners for confirming this agreement.“, wrote Oleksandr Kubrakov on Twitter.
13:08 GMT. Putin visits Crimea on annexation anniversary
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Crimea on March 18, the day of the ninth anniversary of the annexation of this Ukrainian peninsula by Russia in 2014, announced Russian public television.
On a surprise trip to Sevastopol, home port of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Crimea, he visited a school of the arts in the company of the local governor, Mikhail Razvojayev, according to images broadcast by the Rossia-1 television channel. .
12:47 UT. Demonstrations outside the embassies of “unfriendly” countries in Moscow
Pro-Kremlin activists protested outside the embassies of 20 countries considered “unfriendly” by Russia. Among the embassies concerned, that of France, the United Kingdom and the United States, where approximately 400 demonstrators were gathered.
In total, according to the “Molodaïa gvardia” (“The Young Guard”) movement, 5,000 activists demonstrated in front of the embassies.
11:48 GMT. New drone attacks in Ukraine, according to the army
Several Iranian-made drones targeted the country during the night between March 17 and 18, according to the Ukrainian army. The region of Lviv, in the west, was particularly affected, according to the regional governor.
In total, 11 out of 16 drones were “destroyed” causing no casualties but significant material damage in some places.
8:02 UT. Turkey gives green light to Finland joining NATO
“We have decided to start Finland’s NATO membership process in our parliament,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said following meeting in Ankara with his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinistö on Friday.
With Turkey’s green light, 29 out of 30 countries approved Finland’s bid. The Hungarian Parliament will vote on March 27.
If Finland can hope to join the military alliance soon, Sweden’s request remains blocked by Turkey. In question, the burning of a Koran by a Swedish extremist in January, which had led to the suspension of talks between Ankara, Helsinki and Stockholm.
11:36 p.m. UT. Joe Biden says ICC arrest warrant for Putin ‘justified’
After the decision of the International Criminal Court to prosecute Vladimir Poutine for war crime, Joe Biden considered “justified” this decision, in front of journalists at the White House.
He also recalled that the institution was not recognized by the United States, but nevertheless sent “a very strong signal”.
