International
Russia strikes again at grain depots in Ukraine
August 16|
Russia resumed its attacks on grain infrastructure in the Odessa region of southern Ukraine, officials said Wednesday. Several drones attacked warehouses and ports along the Danube River overnight, which Kiev has increasingly used to transport its grain to Europe after Moscow broke a crucial wartime deal to export it via the Black Sea.
Meanwhile, a full cargo ship that had been stuck in the port of Odessa since Russia’s full-scale invasion more than 17 months ago set sail and was heading for the Bosporus via the Black Sea using a temporary corridor set up by Ukraine for merchant traffic.
The Ukrainian economy, strained by the war, is heavily dependent on agriculture. Its agricultural exports, like Russia’s, are also crucial to global supplies of wheat, barley, sunflower oil and other foodstuffs on which developing countries depend.
After the Kremlin last month tore up an agreement negotiated last summer by the United Nations and Turkey to ensure the safe export of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea, Kiev has tried to reroute goods via the Danube and road and rail links to Europe. But transport costs are much higher along those routes, some European countries have expressed misgivings about the consequences for local grain prices, and Danube ports cannot handle as much volume as sea ports.
The main target of the night’s drone bombing was port terminals and grain silos, Odessa Governor Oleh Kiper said. That included ports in the Danube delta. Anti-aircraft defenses managed to intercept 13 drones, Kiper noted.
In attacks in recent weeks, Russia has hit ports in the Danube delta, which are just 15 kilometers (10 miles) from the Romanian border. The Danube is Europe’s second longest river and a crucial transport route.
Meanwhile, the container ship leaving Odessa was the first ship to sail since July 16, according to Oleksandr Kubrakov, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister. It had been in Odessa since February 2022.
The Hong Kong-flagged Joseph Schulte was sailing through a temporary corridor that Ukraine had asked the International Maritime Organization to ratify. The United States has warned that the Russian military is preparing possible attacks against civilian cargo ships in the Black Sea.
Underwater mines also make travel dangerous and insurance costs are likely to be high for ship operators. Ukraine told the IMO it would offer “guarantees of compensation for damages.”
A Russian ship fired warning shots last Sunday at a Palau-flagged cargo ship in the southern Black Sea. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the Sukru Okan was sailing north to the Ukrainian port of Izmail on the Danube.
Tracking data analyzed by The Associated Press confirmed that the Joseph Schulte was heading south.
The Joseph Schulte was carrying more than 30,000 tons of goods in 2,114 containers, including foodstuffs, according to Kubrakov.
The corridor, he said, will be used primarily to evacuate ships trapped in the Ukrainian ports of Chornomorsk, Odessa and Pivdennyi since the outbreak of the war.
On the front, Ukrainian authorities announced another milestone in the tough Ukrainian counteroffensive. Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said troops had retaken a village in the eastern Donetsk region.
The village of Urozhaine is near Staromaiorske, a village that Ukraine also claimed to have recaptured recently. It was not possible to independently verify these claims.
Ukraine appears to be breaking through Russian forces in the south, but it faces tight defensive lines and is advancing without air support.
Also on Wednesday, the Russian military said it had shot down three drones in the Kaluga region southwest of Moscow and attributed the attack to Ukraine. No deaths or injuries were reported.
International
Claudia Sheinbaum: Operation Against ‘El Mencho’ Was Based on Pending Arrest Warrants
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday rejected claims that the military operation that resulted in the death of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), was carried out under pressure from the United States government.
Sheinbaum explained that the deployment of federal forces was aimed at executing outstanding arrest warrants against Oseguera Cervantes, who was considered one of the most wanted criminals in both Mexico and the United States.
“That was not the objective (to ease pressure from the United States). It is very important, and I want to repeat it. This individual had an arrest warrant, or several,” Sheinbaum said, referring to the operation conducted on February 22.
According to the president, the initial goal was to capture Oseguera Cervantes, but military forces responded after coming under attack during the intervention.
“The operation was to detain him. The problem is that they were attacked — the Secretariat of National Defense — and they responded at that moment,” she said.
The president insisted that the action was not carried out in response to external demands, although she acknowledged intelligence cooperation with the United States.
“It was not done in any way because of pressure from the United States, not at all. Of course, there was intelligence information from the United States that was used specifically,” she concluded.
International
Spain Denies Any Agreement to Cooperate with U.S. Military in Iran Operations
Spain’s Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares on Wednesday firmly denied that Madrid has agreed to cooperate with the U.S. military in operations against Iran, contradicting statements made minutes earlier by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
“I categorically deny it,” Albares said in a radio interview cited by EFE. “The position of the Spanish government regarding the war in the Middle East, the bombings in Iran, and the use of our bases has not changed by a single comma.”
Earlier in the day, Leavitt told reporters that Spain had “agreed to cooperate with the United States military in recent hours,” following President Donald Trump’s threat to impose a trade embargo on Madrid. Trump had warned of economic measures after Spain reportedly refused to allow the Pentagon to use facilities at Spanish bases for operations related to Iran.
“I have no idea what that could be referring to or where it could be coming from,” Albares said, insisting that Spain’s position “has not changed at all” and therefore “remains absolutely unchanged.” He added that he had “no desire” and “almost no time” to speculate about the White House spokesperson’s remarks.
Albares reiterated Spain’s “No to war” stance, which he said had been clearly and forcefully expressed by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in an institutional address. According to the foreign minister, that position has been supported by “many European colleagues.”
International
White House Says Spain Agrees to Cooperate with U.S. Military After Trump Threatens Trade Embargo
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday that Spain has agreed “in recent hours” to cooperate with the U.S. military, following President Donald Trump’s threat to impose a trade embargo on Madrid.
Trump had warned of potential commercial measures after Spain reportedly refused to allow the Pentagon to use facilities at Spanish military bases for operations related to Iran.
“With respect to Spain, I think you heard the president’s message yesterday loud and clear, and I understand that in recent hours they have agreed to cooperate with the United States military,” Leavitt said during a press briefing.
She added that the U.S. military is currently coordinating with its counterparts in Spain. However, the president expects broader support.
“The president expects that all of Europe, all of our European allies, of course, will cooperate in this important mission — not only for the United States, but also for Europe,” Leavitt said.
Her remarks came in response to questions about Spain’s position and its role as a U.S. ally amid rising tensions surrounding operations involving Iran.
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