Three people have died in the detonation of unexploded ordnance that hit two beaches in southern Ukraine's Odessa region where swimming was banned, local authorities said on Monday, quoted by Reuters and BTA.
Regional governor Oleg Kiper said one man died on a beach near the village of Karolino-Bugaz, while a man and a woman died near the nearby settlement of Zatoka - both south of Odessa. “All three died when explosives exploded while they were swimming in prohibited areas. This proves once again that entering uncharted waters is fatally dangerous!“, he warned in a statement.
The Black Sea coast is a popular summer destination in Ukraine, but authorities have urged caution since a full-scale Russian invasion led to mines being dumped into the sea.
Kiper added that 32 places in the region were considered safe for swimming, with 30 of them located in Odessa itself.
The European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaia Kallas, said on Monday that any agreement between Washington and Moscow to end the war in Ukraine must include Ukraine itself, as well as the EU.
She added that she would convene a meeting of the foreign ministers of the union's member states tomorrow to discuss the next steps, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
“The US has the power to make Russia negotiate in a serious way. Any agreement between the US and Russia must include Ukraine and the EU, because this is a security issue for Ukraine and for Europe as a whole“, said Kallas.
US President Donald Trump plans to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin this Friday in Alaska.
Kallas said that “as we work for a sustainable and just peace, international law is clear that all temporarily occupied territories belong to Ukraine“.
“The agreement must not provide a springboard for further Russian aggression against Ukraine, the transatlantic alliance and Europe“, she added.