Day 252: Russia to Return to Grain Deal; US Troops Inspecting Weapons in Ukraine

Facts

• Russia on Wednesday agreed to resume its participation in the grain deal brokered by Turkey and the UN, having recently pulled out of the agreement after accusing Ukraine — with the help of the British — of using the humanitarian shipping corridor to attack its Black Sea fleet over the weekend.
• Russia's defense ministry said the country agreed to continue carrying out its role in the deal after receiving written guarantees from Kyiv that Ukraine would not use the sea corridor for military actions against Moscow, according to a statement.
• Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, told reporters that Britain's ambassador to Moscow would shortly be summoned to the Kremlin in connection with the attack on the Black Sea fleet.
• Elsewhere, the US Dept. of Defense said on Tuesday that it's sending American troops to Ukraine to inspect sites of military aid shipments amid fears the weapons could fall into the wrong hands via the black market or other means.
• Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, stated: "We have no indication that there has been any type of illicit spread of the capabilities that we provided to the Ukrainians that are being used effectively on the battlefield," adding that US troops are being kept "far away from any type of frontline action."
• On the ground, Ukrainian officials said its armed forces shot down all three missiles fired at Odesa in the early hours of Wednesday. They added that 12 of 13 drones were also shot down over the country as a whole — the remaining drone struck an "infrastructure facility" in the Cherkasy region. A separate attack was recorded in the border region of Sumy, injuring one civilian.
• With the brunt of the fighting continuing in the Donetsk region, Ukrainian officials said four civilians were killed and 10 more were injured in Russian attacks over the past day, and the bodies of five civilians who'd been killed earlier were also discovered. Meanwhile, pro-Russia officials from the Donetsk People's Republic reported that two civilians were killed and five more were injured in the same period.

Sources: Associated Press, US News, Ukrinform, and New York Post.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Washington Post. The need to arm Ukraine must be counterbalanced with strict oversight rules for American weapons to ensure they don't fall into the wrong hands. This move to send US troops to supervise the process is about ensuring long-term US interests are protected.
• Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by Tass. The presence of US troops and advisers in Ukraine dramatically escalates the chances of a direct conflict between Russia and America. Once a contingent is in a warzone, it will likely grow until you have an all-out conflict — a situation that needs to be avoided.

Predictions