Day 480 of the Invasion of Ukraine: No Chance for the Grain Deal

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Day 480 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

• Kremlin: The grain deal has no chance
• Ukraine destroyed a large Russian ammunition depot
• More than 60 countries are expected to participate in a conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine next week in London
• Zelensky thanked Ukraine's allies for help with the floods after the explosion at the Kakhovka dam
• Two people died, one child was injured during Ukrainian shelling of a village in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast

Kremlin: The grain deal has no chance

There is no chance for the extension of the so-called “grain export deal” . Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said this in an interview with "Izvestia". The current deal expires in July.

"It is hardly possible to foresee any final solution to this problem, we can only state that de facto, judging by what we have now - this deal has no chance," announced Peskov.

His words follow a June 13 speech by Vladimir Putin himself, in which the president announced that Russia plans to withdraw from the grain deal.

At the same time, Ukrainian President Zelensky said on June 16 that Russia was blocking Ukrainian seaports to "sell its own agricultural products and to avoid competition from Ukraine."

"Russia did not allow any grain sea corridor until we unilaterally managed to de-occupy our Snake Island and until we received the appropriate weapons to guarantee the security of our ports," Zelensky emphasized.

Ukraine destroyed a large Russian ammunition depot

Ukrainian forces destroyed a large ammunition depot near the Russian-occupied port of Henichesk in the southern Kherson region, said the spokesman of the Odesa regional military administration Sergey Bratchuk, quoted by Reuters.

"This morning, our armed forces struck the village of Rykove in the Henichesk region, in the temporarily occupied territory of the Kherson region," Bratchuk said. "There was a very large ammunition depot. It has been destroyed," he added.

The information has not been verified by an independent source. There are no reports from Russia of such an attack, BTA clarifies.

A little later, on his official Telegram channel, the commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Mykola Oleschuk, wrote under a published video of the explosions: “Good job, guys! More fire!".

More than 60 countries are expected to participate in a conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine next week in London

High-ranking representatives from more than 60 countries, as well as several hundred heads of major global companies, are expected to participate next week in the second international conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine in London, the British government announced, as quoted by AFP.

"Ukraine's economic recovery is as important as its military strategy," British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to say at the opening of the forum, which will take place in the British capital on June 21 and 22.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will participate in the event via video conference.

"Ukraine's bravery on the battlefield must go hand in hand with the vision of the private sector to help rebuild the country," the British leader - a supporter of Kyiv from the start - is expected to say, a Downing Street communiqué said.

The upcoming conference, in which non-governmental organizations will also participate, is the second one organized since the beginning of the war. The first was held last year in Lugano, Switzerland.

Political leaders expected to attend include European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna.

More than a year after the start of the war, the World Bank estimated Ukraine's immediate needs to repair the damage caused by the fighting at billion. However, getting the Ukrainian economy back on its feet will cost 1 billion, according to a recent study by the World Bank, the United Nations, the European Union and the Ukrainian government. This figure will increase as the conflict continues.

The aim of the conference is to mobilize the private sector along with the major international financial institutions.

At the conference, Britain will present technology and green energy initiatives to facilitate cooperation between Ukrainian and British companies.

Zelensky thanked Ukraine's allies for help with the floods after the explosion at the Kakhovka dam

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked allies and humanitarian organizations for their help in dealing with the huge flood following the explosion at the dam wall of the Kakhovka HPP in Ukraine, Ukrinform reported.

Yesterday, Ukrainian authorities reported 16 dead and 31 missing after the Dnieper dam collapsed last week.

"Sixteen people have died - 14 in Kherson and two in Mykolaiv region. 31 people remain missing," said the Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs, quoted by AFP.

Shortly before that, Russia announced that the death toll from floods in areas under its control in southern Ukraine had risen to 29. Dozens of residents are missing.

Ukraine has accused Russia of deliberately blowing up the dam. Many international experts also believe that Russian forces are responsible for what happened, but Moscow denies, DPA notes.

Two people died, one child was injured during Ukrainian shelling of a village in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast

Two people were killed and a child was wounded in Ukrainian shelling of a village in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Reuters reported, citing Russian intelligence agencies.

This evening, Ukrainian forces shelled the village of Zelenopol in the Kuibyshev region, killing two people and injuring a child, sources from the operational services told TASS, specifying that three shells fell in the village.

Reuters said it could not confirm information from the battlefield.

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