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Russia Says Ukraine Grain Deal Has Been Terminated; Ukraine Claims Attack On Bridge Linking Russia To Annexed Crimean Peninsula; Record Heat As U.S. And China Meet For Climate Talks. Aired 10-10:45a ET

Aired July 17, 2023 - 10:00:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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[10:00:54]

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: I'm Eleni Giokos live from Abu Dhabi. This is CONNECT THE WORLD. Coming up this hour. Russia pulls out of

the Black Sea Grain Deal. Two people are dead after Ukraine hits a key Crimean bridge.

Soaring temperatures put millions under heat warnings across the globe.

And later in the show. How Carlos Alcaraz stunned Wimbledon.

Welcome to the show. Now Russia says it has terminated a critical deal that allowed the export of Ukrainian grain raising fears over the fate of global

food supplies and the price of grain. The agreement which had been set to expire today was brokered by the U.N. and Turkey last year. It had allowed

Kyiv to safely exported screen from its black sea ports. That is despite a wartime blockage. Now, the effects of Moscow's withdrawal will be felt

worldwide.

CNN's Clare Sebastian joins us from London. Clae, great to have you on. Look, Russia has been threatening to pull out of this deal. It basically

expires in a few hours. So, take us through the latest here whether there's an anticipation of a last-minute agreement or whether it is done that

Russia has officially pulled out.

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Eleni. Russia has been using this deal for leverage for really most of the year that it's

been in force. It's been using it to its advantage in several ways. One to try to get sanctions lifted. It says that it's still having trouble getting

its own food and fertilizer onto global markets because of certain sanctions impacting its banks.

There are no official sanctions on Russian food and fertilizer. It should be noted, but they've been trying to get certain financial sanctions

lifted. The second thing is to try to show loyalty to certain developing especially African countries with which Russia has been quietly cultivating

alliances throughout this war by saying that the deal has not directed enough grain and foodstuffs to those countries that need it most.

That's also part of what's going on here. As to whether this is actually a final decision. The language sounds pretty final right now. Russia says

it's basically cancelled navigation guarantees, safe navigation guarantees through the Black Sea for ships carrying Ukrainian agricultural products. A

U.N. official has told CNN that they believe right now Russia's words are final. But Russia has a lot to lose if it walks away here.

It's got those, of course, alliances with developing countries. It's got its alliances, its partnership with Turkey which helped broker this deal.

President Erdogan has said that President Putin might even travel to Istanbul next month. And it has that leverage over potential lifting of

sanctions. It was just in the last week or so that the U.N. and the E.U. floated the idea of reconnecting Russia's agricultural bank to the Swift

international payments network under this deal.

So really, this leverage is very important to Moscow. It remains to be seen. Well, they'll come back in but Dimitri Peskov did say that if Russia

feels that the concessions that it wants have been granted, it could reinstate the deal. So, it's still possible. Yes.

GIOKOS: Yes. It's a really good point. I mean, what really struck me is the reality is that Russia, of course, has a lot of friends on a lot -- in a

lot of emerging markets that rely on the grain. So, it'll be interesting to see how he plays that. But look, I want to talk about wheat prices. They

are higher today. We know they're off the highs that we saw at the start of the war. But how does this grain deal impact supply?

SEBASTIAN: Yes. So supplies is one thing in any Ukrainian a major provider about 10 percent of global wheat exports, 15 percent of corn and accounts

for pretty much half the world's market for sunflower oil. Some of that was also being exported under this deal. It's not just grain. And we did see

wheat prices -- wheat prices, wheat futures come up a little bit just about three percent. Today it's still down about 50 percent from their all-time

highs hit last year when this conflict started.

Corn futures up a little bit of that as well. So, we're seeing a little bit of reaction there as well. But it is in terms of prices that there still

has had a major impact.

[10:05:04]

The -- according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Administration, its own food price index, that has come down some 21 percent since between June

2022, and June 2023. If you're talking cereals, in general, so grains, that's 24 percent drop. And then some 45 percent drop when you're talking

about vegetable oil. So, it has had a big impact on overall food prices. We could see a gradual reversal of that effects depending on how many hints

we get from Moscow about whether this deal could be reinstated.

And then of course, don't forget that the World Food Program gets half of it supplies for the developing world from Ukraine, there are countries in

Africa like Eritrea and Somalia that have previously relied on Ukraine for pretty much all of their grain. So, there is a lot riding on this deal.

That is why so much effort was put behind it in the first place.

GIOKOS: A lot at stake here. Clare Sebastian, thank you so much for bringing us up to speed on that. And we'll have more from Clare later in

the show on how the war in Ukraine is being felt in schools around Russia. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN (voiceover): History is being rewritten in the textbooks. This one now includes the so-called Special Military Operation. And it's not

just recent history.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is a historic fact that Russian state began with the Kyiv. Kyivskaya Russia, so to say. But nowadays the new textbook of history

are issued where this idea is removed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: Well, Ukraine has claimed responsibility for an explosion on a critical bridge connecting Russia to the annexed peninsula of Crimea. Two

people travelling along the bridge were killed. Ukrainian intelligence officials say the damage will hurt Russia's ability to move supplies for

its war in Ukraine.

CNN's Alex Marquardt joins us now. He is in Odessa. Great to see you, Alex. I mean, to what extent does the damage impact Russia's ability to move the

supplies into Ukraine. Give us a breakdown of what you're seeing.

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Eleni, without question. It is a critical artery. It is the only one that connects

mainland Russia to the Crimean Peninsula. And now we have the roadway that is essentially out of service. There are still other options for the

Russians to get supplies into both Crimea and into Ukraine. The railway that runs alongside the roadway that got blown up continues to function.

And since the beginning of the war, the Russian occupation they did establish that land bridge from the northern part of the Crimean Peninsula

all the way to Russian-occupied Donbas and then into Russia. So, they still have options but it could significantly cripple the efforts to get not just

people across that bridge going for whatever reason into Crimea, military supplies, fuel and food.

We are now quite remarkably, hearing a claim of responsibility by the Russian security services, the SBU, we don't often get a claim of

responsibility from the Ukrainians when they carry out these more brazen attacks. Usually, they're rather coy. But today, the SBU actually posted

online, the bridge is sleeping again. That's a reference to the attack on the same bridge just nine months ago at the time, they did not claim.

Ukraine is saying that this was a joint operation between the SBU and the Ukrainian navy. They said they'll only offer details in a long time,

essentially after the war. But the Russians are saying that this this explosion, these blasts were carried out by a surface or water drones, that

it was in the pre-dawn hours around 3:00 in the morning. It could take quite some time for this roadway to get back up and running after the

attack in October, it took several months for that road to reopen.

This is not only a logistical headache for Russia. It is also a real symbolic attack. You know, President Putin takes very seriously the fact

that Crimea, in his mind is part of Russia, which of course, Ukrainians reject. And so, it remains to be seen to what extent Russia will respond,

how seriously they will take this, you know, for the logistical reasons but also because this is such a symbolic bridge.

There this -- there was so much importance placed on this bridge that was years in the making, cost billions of dollars to build some 19-kilometer or

12 miles long. So, the question now is how do Vladimir Putin and the Russian military plan to respond to this extremely brazen attack by

Ukraine. Eleni? Laney

GIOKOS: All right. Alex Marquardt, thank you so much. With another day comes another broken record as the world's top two carbon emitters meet for

crucial climate talks. U.S. climate envoy John Kerry is in Beijing this week. And in the backdrop of those negotiations, both countries are feeling

the heat. China record at the highest temperature in its history Sunday. More than 52 degrees Celsius as five parts of the country hover around that

half century mark across the Pacific.

[10:10:10]

This is the three-day forecast in the American Southwest with more than 80 million people, nearly a quarter of the population under heat alerts. Just

take a look at that map. We're covering all the angles of this extreme weather with Rafael Romo reporting from Las Vegas. Barbie Nadeau in Rome

for us. And we've got meteorologist Derek Van Dam from our weather headquarters in Atlanta.

Welcome to all of you. Derek, I'd like to start off with you. These are records we do not want to be breaking. I fear that this might be a

harbinger of things to come the perhaps the new normal. Please tell me what you're seeing.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: All right. So, we're coming off of the warmest June ever across the globe. We had four continuous days where we

had the daily high temperature across the globe at its maximum. It never been that warm. So, we're seeing this trend, the climate crisis is now, it

is our new normal breaking these records. And that is why we continuously talk about it.

And this is just a bit of kind of eye candy for you. But you can really see right -- who's heating up the most lately? North America into North Africa,

parts of the Mediterranean, throughout China and into the Middle East. That is where we've seen these record high temperatures. We spoke about China

recording its highest temperature ever yesterday. But it wasn't just one location, it was five separate locations that saw temperatures above 50

degrees Celsius.

That's roughly about 120 degrees Fahrenheit. So, just incredible heat. We're running five to 10 degrees Celsius, above average for these locations

across China. It's not only China but it's also much of Europe as well. Specifically, across the Mediterranean from Rome to Athens, daytime highs

are running. About 10 degrees Celsius above average. And by the way, that high in Rome today, 41, well, that's record-breaking territory.

We're approaching that. We do have a bit of a cooling trend. But, you know, we're splitting hairs here. 38 degrees tomorrow, that is extremely hot. And

in Athens where they closed the Acropolis because it was just simply too warm for tourists to visit that historical landmark. Across the

southwestern U.S., our heat dome in essence trapping the incoming solar radiation from the sun.

So, it's acting as a lid to keep those temperatures close to the surface of the Earth where we all live. And that is why we have over 80 million

Americans under heat advisories. Now, this heat across the Southwest is much different than the heat across southern Florida where I was last week

reporting on this very topic. The water temperatures here near record territory for Miami, Florida and the Florida Keys threatening the coral

habitat across the area, but it's also helping impact the temperatures that they receive on land as well.

So, a very humid, muggy heat across Miami and South Florida. But look at Phoenix, we have had 17 consecutive days where the mercury in the

thermometer has climbed above 43 degrees and will likely break that again today. That is a streak. And it's the overnight lows that are concerned as

well when we anticipate to actually get some reprieve from the warm weather. It doesn't happen. The overnight lows are staying well above

average.

So, we know with climate crisis heat waves. We have a direct connection between the amount of carbon dioxide that is polluted. So, it is imperative

that with these discussions that John Kerry is having with Japan or with China at the moment, the two number one polluters across the planet have to

come to some common ground here so we can move forward and solve this climate crisis. Eleni?

GIOKOS: Brilliant graphic there, Derek. 20 percent coming through from the U.S. in terms of emissions, 11 percent China. That's what they account for.

A scary scenario. Painting for us, I have to say here it hits 51 degrees Celsius, which is one degree lower than the record we'd previously hit. It

is hot. It's uncomfortable. It is serious. Derek Van Dam, thank you so much.

Well, staying in the U.S. we mentioned those record highs in the southwest. Rafael Romo is reporting live for us from Las Vegas. Rafael, great to have

you with us. It is not unusual for it to be hot in some city but we're in a totally different category now. What are you seeing -- feeling where you

are at the moments?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: Yes. It's very, very hot here, Eleni. It was already 32 degrees Celsius here in Las Vegas before

the sun was up and we're expecting another scorcher today. The National Weather Service is forecasting a highest 45 degrees Celsius. Just to give

you an idea how hot it's been. The thermometer hit 46 degrees yesterday, just one degree shy of the record for July 16.

And just a couple of degrees away for from the all-time record of 117 degrees Fahrenheit or 47 Celsius. And this is dangerous not only for

obvious reasons, but also because surface temperatures can be extremely hot and cause burns. The local office of the National Weather Service here in

Las Vegas made some measurements and found that concrete temperatures Sunday reached almost 62 degrees in the sun.

[10:15:03]

And listen to this. There was a reading on Asphalt that almost hit the 70- degree mark. This is dangerous to humans of course, but officials are also warning people with pets, about burns, they can suffer it for example, a

dog is walking on a hard surface outside. As bad as it's been here, Death Valley National Park in California reached 53 degrees Sunday. Only three

degrees shy of the all-time record of 56.

There's a reason why it's known as the hottest place on earth. We also visited Hoover Dam where a couple of tourists describe to us how bad

conditions were. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAT TAYLOR, TOURIST: It feels like you're actually on fire after you're out here for a while. And we've just been -- I just slammed about two bottles

of water at lunch. This is definitely like touching surfaces.

ROMO: Yes.

TAYLOR: Not used to burning myself on concrete.

JACK GUSE, TOURIST: It's just harder to breathe like without the moisture in the air. It's just kind of hard to breathe, you know, so makes things a

little difficult.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And Eleni, high temperatures at Hoover Dam were well over 40 degrees during the weekend and are expected to remain right there at the same

level. During this week, an excessive heat warning remains in effect for parts of Arizona, California and Nevada. The National Weather Service says

dangerously hot afternoons with little overnight relief expected adding that this will result in a major to extreme risk of heat related illness

for much of the population. So, everybody needs to be very, very careful. Back to you.

GIOKOS: Yes. Rafael Romo. Thank you so much for that. Well, this isn't your usual hot summer in the Mediterranean. Europe could record its hottest ever

temperatures this week, especially in Italy, Sicily, and Sardinia. That's the word from the European Space Agency. And we've already seen people

rescued from a dangerously hot Acropolis in Greece, as well. Now researchers offering heartbreaking evidence that killer heat often targets

the elderly.

Overall, extreme temperatures took nearly 62,000 lives last summer in Europe alone. And Italy stood out as the hardest hit country. CNN's Barbie

Nadeau is there reporting live for us from Rome. We can see how the tourists are trying to adapt enjoying the fountains that are scattered

throughout the city. But then the big question, of course, is how residents are able to deal with this heat. What are you hearing?

BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, you know, Eleni, one of the things about people who live in the Mediterranean is they know how to deal with

the heat, because it's always hot. It's not always this hot by any means. But it's not always the thought this long. But Italians and Spanish people

and Greek people, they don't go outside during this time of the day. They don't drink, overdrink alcohol. They don't drink heavy meals.

And that, of course are the things that tourists do. So that's the big contrast here. But we're still -- we're still hearing reports. Obviously,

people are worried about the elderly, especially those who don't have access to air conditioning, which is quite a few people. It's not, you

know, in every home by any means anywhere in Italy, any region in Italy. And so, you know, the health agencies are saying, you know, make sure you

check on your elderly neighbors.

Make sure that those people who are vulnerable with health conditions are OK. Bring them water, get their groceries, you know, don't make them go

outside. So that's the kind of advice that residents are getting, the Italians are getting to take care of themselves. But again, you're not

seeing Romans out here. The Spanish is up today. You know, these are tours here. These are tourists who have a couple of days in Rome, want to take

advantage of it.

Luckily have access to free water all over cold water all over the city. And, you know, but the weather is hot. I'll tell you firsthand and it's

going to get hotter. Tomorrow is supposed to be even worse than we're looking at some relief coming. But even a relief in a Mediterranean summer,

we're still talking about temperatures in the 30s. So, it's not by any means going to get cool anytime soon, Eleni.

GIOKOS: Yes. And I can see people in the fountain this time every day. I can see how they're enjoying the water. A lot more, Barbie, as it gets a

lot warmer. Thank you so very much for joining us.

Well, up next. Iran's morality police back on the streets. What it means for women's rights 10 months after the death of Mahsa Amini. We'll be right

back.

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[10:21:25]

GIOKOS: Welcome back. Now headscarf patrols have resumed in Iran. The country's feared morality police are once again on the streets according to

state-run media. They're enforcing Iran's strict dress code which mandates women must wear hijab or headscarf in public. Now you'll recall Iran was

rocked with protests last year when 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died while in custody of the morality police.

That led to a months-long crackdown on protesters and other forms of dissent described by Human Rights Watch as brute force. Salma Abdelaziz is

connecting us this hour from London. This is the much-feared news for women in Iran. But what does this mean practically every day, when the morality

police now patrol the streets again?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, in many ways, Eleni it's a final blow to this huge protest movement that had taken hold of Iran last year

that had rocked every single province in the country for months that demanded not just the change of the hijab law, but demanded the overthrow,

essentially, of Iran's ruling clerical elite. And that movement has faced months of suppression. That's led to hundreds of people being killed.

That's according to rights groups. Some facing death by hanging just for protesting against the government. And now after months of not having the

morality police on the streets as a result of those demonstrations, they are finally back on those streets. A response, of course, to the call from

hardliners for a return to tough responses to those who don't wear the hijab. But I want you to take a look at the images that you're playing

right now, Eleni.

These are images, I believe, just from Sunday of the police again, the morality police again, back on those streets. But if you take a close look

at those images. You'll see there are many brazen women just walking right past those officers with their hair showing. And that there is the point,

Eleni, is for months now without the morality police on streets women have grown bolder and bolder not wearing the hijab.

So, what happens now? Take a listen to one woman who was bold enough to speak to cameras about her opinion on this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think the morality police can prevent women from not wearing a hijab? They cannot impose it like before, the number of

people who do not obey is too high now. They cannot handle all of us. The last thing they can do is use violence and force against us. They cannot do

it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: The thing to remember, Eleni, is it's no longer just about the hijab, just about the physical garment. That itself has become a symbol. A

sign of resistance against the government not just about the rules, the Sharia law that is being imposed, but about the socioeconomic conditions

and the wider grievances that many of these demonstrators hold. And as you heard from that women -- from that woman there.

Countless young girls and young women are on the streets now not wearing the hijab. The police back on the streets. The question is, what will it

take to return to the norm, if that's what they aim to achieve? And how violent would that enforcement be? Eleni?

GIOKOS: That's the question. You know, what is enforcing look like now. Salma Abdelaziz, thank you for bringing us a story.

Well, let's get you up to speed on some other stories that are on our radar right now. China's economy has slowed to less than one percent growth in

the second quarter of this year. That is according to new data from Beijing. It comes after better showing at the start of the year when the

economy began to shake off the effects of years of pandemic restrictions, but the post-COVID recovery has faltered.

[10:25:03]

Leaders from Tunisia and the European Union have now signed a historic deal focusing on human trafficking, economic relations, green energy and more

talks had gone on for weeks and Europe has been part of the deal. More than $1 billion in aid to Tunisia has been pledged to help the deal with a

battered economy and migration crisis.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pledging to crack down on those threatening to refuse call ups for military reserve duty in response

to his plan to overhaul the judiciary. Mr. Netanyahu was discharged from the hospital on Sunday after being admitted the previous day for

dehydration. He told journalists he feels excellent.

Well, coming up on CONNECT THE WORLD. More on the attack on the Kerch bridge in Crimea. We'll take a look at why the bridge is so important in

Russia's war in Ukraine.

Plus, Russia's classrooms become bleak monuments to the country's fallen soldiers. Our reports on the government's efforts to stamp out dissent in

schools.

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GIOKOS: Welcome back. I'm Eleni Giokos in Abu Dhabi. And you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. Here are your headlines this hour. Russia's termination

of a critical Grain Deal is triggering new fears over the fate of global food supplies and grain prices. The agreement had allowed Ukraine to export

safely grain from its black sea ports despite wartime blockage. Now Ukraine is claiming responsibility for an attack on a bridge linking Russia to the

next Crimean Peninsula.

A vital supply line for Russia's war efforts. Russia says a child was injured in the attack and her parents were killed.

U.S. Commerce envoy John Kerry is in Beijing for climate talks this week. The world's top two carbon emitters are trying to reach a deal on their

climate commitments as historic heat waves sweep the planet.

Now taking a look at more on that bridge linking Crimea to Russia. Monday's attack is the second one to take place the last October. A fuel tanker

exploded, destroying a large section of the road.

[10:30:03]

CNN's Scott McLean explains why the bridge is so important to Russia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Kremlin is calling it a terrorist act that killed two adults and injured a child. Russian

investigators, they are already on site here collecting evidence. Now Ukraine has not officially claimed responsibility. And it's not clear how

it was done. But a source inside the Ukrainian Security Service has told CNN that the attack on the Kerch bridge was a joint operation between it

and its naval forces.

So, the bridge itself is right here. It is the only direct link between Russia itself and occupied Crimea. And if you can't use the bridge, it

means you have to go all the way around back through other parts of occupied Ukraine and act -- in order to actually reach Crimea. The bridge

is 12 miles long and that makes it the longest in Europe and it cost $3.7 billion to actually build it. And it's divided into two parts. One for rail

traffic, the other for cars.

And the Russians say that the rail part of the bridge remains intact and based on this video, that seems to be the case. That looks -- this looks

like it was taken from a passing train on the rail section. And you can see this span of the bridge seems to be partially (INAUDIBLE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: All right. We are just interrupting our coverage to take you live to the United Nations' U.N. Chief Gutierrez speaking right now.

ANTONIO GUTERRES, SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS: This Initiative has ensured the safe passage of over 32 million metric tons of food

commodities from Ukrainian ports.

And the World Food Program has shipped more than 725,000 tons to support humanitarian operations, relieving hunger in some of the hardest hit

corners of the world, including Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa and Yemen.

The Black Sea Initiative together with the Memorandum of Understanding on facilitating exports of Russian food products and fertilizers have been a

lifeline for global food security and a beacon of hope in a troubled world.

At a time when the production and availability of food is being disrupted by conflict, climate change, energy prices and more, these agreements have

helped to reduce food prices by over 23 percent since March last year.

With the decision to terminate the Black Sea Initiative, the Russian Federation also terminated its commitment to "facilitate the unimpeded

export of food, sunflower oil, and fertilizers from Ukrainian controlled Black Sea Ports" as expressed in Paragraph 1 of the Memorandum of

Understanding between the Russian Federation and the United Nations.

Ultimately, participation in these agreements is a choice.

But struggling people everywhere and developing countries don't have a choice.

Hundreds of millions of people face hunger and consumers are confronting a global cost-of-living crisis.

And they will pay the price.

Indeed, we are already seeing a jump in wheat prices this morning.

I am aware of some obstacles that remained in the foreign trade of Russian food and fertilizer products.

And this is precisely why I sent a letter to President Putin with a new proposal to keep the Black Sea Initiative alive.

In that letter which I believe is necessary to quote at length, I underlined that and I quote, "Since the signing of the Memorandum of

Understanding, and also taking into account the measures adopted by the Russian Federation, Russian grain trade has reached high export volumes and

fertilizer markets are stabilizing with Russian exports nearing full recovery, as stated by the Russian Union of Grain Exporters and Russian

Fertilizer Producers Association."

The letter went on to detail action by the United Nations.

Namely that we have, and I quote "also delivered breakthroughs even in some of the most challenging areas of trade facilitation. The United Nations

has helped to secure the issuance of U.S. General License 6B and 6C, which are especially important in light of the extraterritorial nature of U.S.

sanctions as these licenses apply not only to U.S. imports from the Russian Federation but also to all countries concerned with their sanction's

regime.

Two U.K. General Licenses on finance and trade in food and fertilizers, which are especially important for the insurance market and the derogation

by the European Union in its ninth sanctions package, which allowed, for example, the unfreezing of assets of fertilizer companies, as well as a

range of clarifications, frequently asked questions, fact sheets and other guidance to the private sector.

[10:35:17]

These regulatory frameworks, as well as extensive engagement with the private sector to find dedicated solutions across banking and insurance

sectors have led to the progressive normalization of trading conditions since July 2022, including declining freight and insurance rates. And bulk

vessel port calls at Russian ports have also remained mostly steady."

The letter went on to detail how we have built a bespoke payments mechanism for the Russian Agricultural Bank through J.P. Morgan outside of SWIFT.

And the letter also described how the United Nations also has worked closely with the key Russian fertilizer groups to unblock assets amounting

to over 70 percent of the frozen assets in the original list submitted to us by the Russian Federation in November 2022. And moreover, the United

Nations has facilitated the humanitarian donations of fertilizer to most in-need countries in Africa, overcoming profound complexities of the

operation.

My letter mentioned and I quote. "The Russian Federation has highlighted the issue of access to SWIFT by the Russian Agricultural Bank as a key

factor influencing its decisions. On this front, the United Nations recently brokered a concrete proposal to enable a subsidiary of the Russian

Agricultural Bank to regain access to SWIFT with the European Commission. The key element underpinning this proposal's political viability is that it

can be implemented within existing regulations.

And we see this as a unique political opening, stemming from a genuine desire to protect global food security beyond 17 July."

I am deeply disappointed that my proposals went unheeded.

Today's decision by the Russian Federation will strike a blow to people in need everywhere.

But it will not stop our efforts to facilitate the unimpeded access to global markets for food products and fertilizers from both Ukraine and the

Russian Federation.

I particularly want to recognize the efforts of the government of Turkiye in this regard. Looking ahead, our goal must continue to be advancing

global food security and global food price stability.

This will remain the focus of my efforts, taking into account the rise in human suffering that will inevitably result from today's decision.

We will stay fixed on finding pathways for solutions.

There is simply too much at stake in a hungry and hurting world and I thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think Turkey can help navigate, Secretary General?

GIOKOS: All right. All right. Alright. U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres there wrapping up his statements on the Black Sea grain deal which

of course Russia has officially pulled out from. It expires later this evening. The Russian Federation has been very clear that it did not want to

extend this deal that saw grain and wheat moved from Ukraine into the international markets. The Secretary General says that the deal was able to

bring down grain prices by 23 percent since last year.

And he mentioned something interesting. He says it's a choice to be in this deal but for developing countries that don't have a choice that they will

be paying the ultimate price. He says that Putin basically said that he did not agree with a lot of the concessions that the U.N. had put on the table

to try and unfreeze fertilizer assets in Russia, to try and create a bespoke payments platforms for Russia.

And went on to say that he's deeply disappointed that his proposals went unheeded. That it's going to be a big blow to people in developing

economies. That was U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres there.

All right. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. There's more news ahead, stay with us. I'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:41:50]

GIOKOS: Welcome back. What an epic Wimbledon final. That's what tennis fans got up to on Sunday watching Djokovic and Alcaraz hit it out. I've got

Patrick Snell with me who can give me the rundown. Look, if you didn't watch this, you definitely missed out on a lot of fun. Patrick?

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: Oh, a five set epic thriller, Eleni. Incredible stuff. The new king of the (INAUDIBLE) there in SW19. Oh,

congrats to Carlos Alcaraz. And he has ended a decade of Djokovic dominance at the All England Club. A real -- who knows you could kind of describe it

as a sort of changing of the guard. Who knows in terms of men's tennis. It was a magnificent victory for the man from Murcia. Still just 20 years of

age.

We have it all for you, Eleni up ahead on World Sport. We'll be hearing from him as well, too, because he's been speaking with us here at CNN. Back

to you.

GIOKOS: Exciting times. Patrick Snell, we'll see after the break. I'll be back at the top of the hour. Stay with us.

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(WORLD SPORT)

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