(Bloomberg) -- Germany called for permanent alternative routes for the Ukrainian grain exports that are seen as vital to easing a global food crisis but have been hindered by Russia’s blockade of Black Sea ports.

“It’s about reducing Putin’s power to blackmail as much as possible,” Cem Oezdemir, a member of the Greens party in the ruling coalition in Berlin, said in an interview with public broadcaster ARD, proposing increased shipments via rail, road and river.

The Kremlin announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan for talks in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Friday, including on the deal brokered by Turkey and the United Nations to unblock Ukraine’s grain exports.

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Key Developments

• Ukraine Plots Cautious Return of Grain Exports as World Watches
• Russia’s Nuclear Power Swagger Unruffled by War as Summit Nears
• Russia Balks at US Prisoner Swap Offer, Viewing It as Unequal
• ‘Putin Chef’ Case Shows London Courts Welcome Russians No More
• European Gas Extends Gains With Russia Risk and Demand in Focus

On the Ground

Russia continued its shelling of the southern port of Mykolaiv, according to local authorities. Explosions were also heard in Kharkiv region in the northeast. Around Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, Russian forces are conducting an offensive in the Bakhmut and Avdiyivka sectors, Ukraine’s general staff reported, adding that its forces repelled a number of attacks. Russia is continuing to transfer troops to support defensive positions in southern Ukraine and may be halting its campaign around Slovyansk in the east for the time being, the Institute for the Study of War said in its latest assessment. The withdrawal will likely create an opportunity for Ukrainian forces to launch a counteroffensive, the report said.

(All times CET)

NATO Chief Holds Call With Zelenskiy (1:15 p.m.)

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he held a call Tuesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and the pair discussed priorities for military support for the government in Kyiv.

Additional Vessels Ready for Grain Exports (1 p.m.)

Ukraine’s deputy agriculture minister said 15 more ships are preparing to depart the Black Sea ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Pivdennyi carrying exports of grain.

The vessels, which will be accompanied through the safe corridor by a mine-sweeper, have a capacity of between 10,000 tons and 60,000 tons, Taras Vysotskyi said in an interview with Ukraine’s 5th TV channel.

Regional Governor Floats Opening Mykolaiv Port (11 a.m.)

The governor of the region that includes Mykolaiv said local authorities are working toward possibly having the southern port added to the list of three shipping hubs which have been opened for grain exports.

While Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi are coastal ports, Mykolaiv sits on the Pivdennyi Buh delta some 30 kilometers (19 miles) north of where the river flows into the sea. Russian forces have been regularly targeting Mykolaiv as it’s strategically important in the northern Black Sea area and stands in the way of a potential push into central Ukraine.

Baerbock Echoes Blinken on ‘Reckless Rhetoric’ (9:30 a.m.)

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Russia is placing the international Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in jeopardy and echoed Blinken’s comments by accusing Moscow of spreading “reckless rhetoric.”

“It is good that a large majority of states have condemned Russia’s aggression and its signals regarding nuclear weapons,” Baerbock said in a speech Monday at the UN. “Reaffirming this condemnation remains a matter of credibility for all those who support serious efforts toward nuclear disarmament.”

Scholz Lauds Trudeau Over Turbines Decision (9 a.m.)

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz praised his Canadian counterpart for his “strong decision” to allow the shipment of turbines back to Europe that are crucial to the operation of a key Russian gas pipeline.

In an interview with The Globe and Mail newspaper, Scholz pushed back against criticism that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had undermined Russian sanctions, and said releasing the turbines -- which were undergoing repairs in Canada -- eliminated a potential Russian excuse for cutting gas supplies.

Crop Prices Extend Declines (7 a.m.)

Global corn, soybean and wheat prices extended their declines as US crop conditions came in better than expected and Ukraine prepares to gradually ramp up exports after the first shipment since Russia’s invasion left for Lebanon.

The first two weeks will be treated as a trial period, with no more than three vessels a day in each direction through new safe-passage corridors, Ukraine Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov told Bloomberg TV Monday. If successful, exports could increase to as much as three million tons per month in four to six weeks’ time, he said.

US Sending $550 Million More Arms (8 p.m.)

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby confirmed that the US is sending $550 million worth of weapons in its latest package for Ukraine.

The Pentagon said in a statement that the new aid will include more ammunition for the High Mobility Advanced Rocket Systems, known as HIMARS, as well as 75,000 rounds of 155mm artillery ammunition. The US “has committed approximately $8.8 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden administration” and more than $10 billion since 2014, the Defense Department said.

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Author: Bloomberg News