World News Ukraine war: Russia says ammonia pipeline blast may end grain deal

Russia has blamed Ukraine for a blast on a key ammonia pipeline and says it may have a “negative” impact on efforts to renew a landmark grain export deal.

Moscow has accused Ukrainian “sabotage” groups for the blast that damaged the Togliatti-Odesa pipeline on Monday.

And the Kremlin says it will not renew last year’s grain export deal with Kyiv unless the pipeline is operational.

But President Volodymyr Zelensky denied the allegations and said the explosion was likely caused by Russian shelling.

Before the war, the 2,500-km (1,530-mile) pipeline - which runs from the Russian city of Togliatti to three Black Sea ports in southern and western Ukraine - exported 2.5 million tonnes of ammonia annually.

But operations on the pipeline ceased after Russian’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

During talks to ensure the export of grain from Ukraine last year, Kyiv and Moscow struck a deal to ensure the safe passage of ammonia through the pipeline, which is a key ingredient in the production of fertiliser.

The landmark deal brokered by the UN and Turkey was initially agreed in June 2022 for 120 days, and has been extended three times since. The current agreement is set to expire on 17 July.

But speaking to reporters in Moscow, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov said the blast “can only have a negative impact” on talks to renew the deal.

“You know that this topic figured as an integral part of the half of the deal that concerned us, so this is yet another complication in terms of extending the deal.”