UN Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned the missile strike on the Ukrainian port of Odessa, which came a day after Kyiv and Moscow struck a deal to unblock grain exports.

“The secretary-general unequivocally condemns reported strikes today in the Ukrainian port of Odessa,” his deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said in a statement.

The Ukrainian military said two Russian missiles were intercepted by air defences on Saturday, and two others hit the commercial port on the Black Sea.

The United Nations and Turkey had helped broker the agreement on Friday amid worries about growing global food insecurity.

“EU strongly condemns Russian missile strike on Odessa’s seaport,” top EU foreign affairs envoy, Josep Borrell, wrote on Twitter.

“Striking a target crucial for grain export a day after the signature of the Istanbul agreements is particularly reprehensible and again demonstrates Russia’s total disregard for international law and commitments,” he added.

In the agreement, Russia pledged to allow ships to sail through a designated sea corridor and not to fire on them. The ports involved were also not to be attacked.

(dpa/NAN)