The Russian military has left the Ukrainian Snake Island. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, they are doing this to show that Russia is willing to cooperate in allowing 'agricultural products' to pass through.
The evacuation could be a first step in freeing up grain export routes across the Black Sea. Snake Island is a small island measuring barely 660 meters long and 440 meters wide in the Black Sea. It forms the southwesternmost part of Ukrainian territory, about 30 kilometers off the coast in the Black Sea, also close to the coast of Romania.
The island therefore has a strategic location, enabling Russian warships from the harbor on that island to block access to the southern Ukrainian seaports. Ukraine states that the Russian military did not withdraw voluntarily, but was driven away by Ukrainian bombardments.
For months, negotiations have been taking place behind the scenes about free passage to Ukrainian ports to get the accumulated grain out of the country. Now that Turkey seems to be taking the lead as mediator, the Netherlands is offering help to clear naval mines from the shipping routes. But before that can happen, an agreement must be reached between Russia and Ukraine on a so-called sea corridor.
“If we can play a role, we are happy to do so,” Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren said Thursday during the NATO summit in Madrid. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte called the NATO meeting 'totally historic.' The main reason for this is the scaling up of the military organization from 40,000 to 300,000 active soldiers.
U.S. President Biden announced that the United States will increase its military presence in Europe. This includes establishing a permanent headquarters for the U.S. Army Corps in Poland.