According to Gerhard Schroeder, a former German chancellor and a close friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the agreement between Moscow and Kyiv to open up Ukrainian grain exports may pave the way for a potential cease-fire in the five-month conflict.
The first ship carrying grain to leave Ukrainian ports during the war safely anchored off Turkey’s coast on Tuesday, and an inspection is scheduled for Wednesday.
‘The good news is that the Kremlin wants a negotiated solution,’ Schroeder said on Wednesday, adding that he had just met with Putin in Moscow.
‘The grain deal is a first success; perhaps that can be gradually expanded to a ceasefire,’ he said.
The war in Ukraine has drawn criticism from Schroeder, chancellor from 1998 to 2005, but he has refrained from denouncing Putin.
As of late, Russia has charged that the United States is doing more than just arming Kiev in the Ukrainian conflict.
Vadym Skibitsky, Ukraine’s deputy head of military intelligence, told Britain’s Telegraph newspaper that Washington was involved in the conflict, according to the Russian defence ministry, which is run by a Putin ally.
Skibitsky told the newspaper that although U.S. officials were not directly providing targeting information, U.S. and Ukrainian intelligence officials did consult before strikes and Washington effectively had a veto over intended targets.
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