Ukraine: Russia hits Ukrainian port despite grain deal; 2 Americans die in Donbas, report says

Russian missiles hit Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa hours after Moscow and Kyiv signed deals to allow grain exports to resume from there, one of the latest attacks in the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry denounced Saturday’s strike as a “spit in the face” to Turkey and the United Nations, which brokered the agreements.

“It took less than 24 hours for Russia to launch a missile attack on Odesa’s port, breaking its promises and undermining its commitments before the U.N. and Turkey under the Istanbul agreement,” Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said. “In case of non-fulfillment, Russia will bear full responsibility for a global food crisis.”

U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget A. Brink called the attack "outrageous" and condemned Russia for continuing to "weaponize food."

The port's infrastructure was hit by two Russian Kalibr cruise missiles and Ukrainian air defenses brought down two others, the Ukrainian military's South Command said. It didn’t specify the damage or say whether the strike caused casualties.

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Latest Ukraine developments:

►Amid a growing global food crisis, Russia and Ukraine signed separate agreements Friday with Turkey and the United Nations to allow Russia to export grain and fertilizer, officials said. "Today, there is a beacon on the Black Sea,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said of the deal Friday. "A beacon of hope, a beacon of possibility, a beacon of relief in a world that needs it more than ever."

►The United States is sending another $270 million in security assistance to Ukraine, White House spokesman John Kirby said Friday. The latest package includes Phoenix Ghost drones, medium range rocket systems as well as ammunition and anti-armor systems. More help will likely be announced “in the not-too distant future,” Kirby said.

Zelenskyy meets U.S. delegation in Kyiv

A delegation of House members met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv Saturday as a show of solidarity to the nation.

The delegation was led by Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., who chairs the House Armed Services committee. Reps. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., and Mike Quigley, D-Ill., also met with Ukraine’s leader.

In a statement released after their visit, the delegation said their visit highlighted “just how deeply Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine has failed to achieve his aims.”

“Putin’s aggression has brought Ukraine and the other democracies of Europe closer together, not driven them apart,” the statement reads.

Zelenskyy thanked the U.S. for its bipartisan support of Ukraine and condemned Russia’s recent acts of aggression, namely the strike on a Ukrainian grain port just hours after the nations signed a deal to allow exports to resume, in a statement Saturday.

"This proves only one thing: no matter what Russia says and promises, it will find ways not to implement it,” Zelenskyy said.

2 Americans dead in Ukraine: report

Two U.S. citizens thought to be fighting for Ukraine died in the country's Donbas region, ABC News reported Friday.

“We are in touch with the families and providing all possible consular assistance," a State Department spokesperson said, according to ABC News. "Out of respect to the families during this difficult time, we have nothing further."

At least two other American volunteer fighters have been killed in Ukraine since its war with Russia began in February.

The State Department confirmed in June that Stephen Zabielski, 52, died in Ukraine, though it did not say when or how he died. However, an obituary published in The Recorder newspaper in his hometown of Amsterdam, New York, said he died May 15 "while fighting the war in Village of Dorozhniank, Ukraine."

In April, Willy Cancel, 22, became the first U.S. citizen known to have been killed fighting in Ukraine. Cancel's mother, Rebecca Cabrera, told CNN that Cancel was hired by a private military contracting company, and when the war in Ukraine broke out, he agreed to go fight.

Ukraine-Russia war: See the effects of war, conflict on Ukraine's children

EU condemns new additions to Russia's 'unfriendly' nations list

The European Union on Friday condemned Russia's choice to add five EU nations to its list of "unfriendly" countries.

The EU member states – Greece, Denmark, Croatia, Slovakia and Slovenia – were added to the list by Russia's government on Wednesday, according to an EU press release.

"The EU considers allegations regarding unfriendly actions as unfounded and unacceptable, urging Russia to revoke all such listings," the release reads. "This decision is yet another step by Russia towards continued escalation of tensions with the European Union and its member states."

Spartz blasts Zelenskyy again

The first and only Ukraine-born U.S. House member – Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind. — again slammed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for purportedly allowing corruption to fester under his leadership as the nation's war against Russia rages on.

"President Zelensky should provide answers to the Ukrainian people as to why Andriy Yermak (Head of Ukraine's Office of the President) is creating a per se dictatorship under the disguise of the ongoing war," she wrote in a Friday statement. "Is this what the Ukrainian people have been fighting for?"

Spartz's previous comments along similar lines have drawn criticism from Ukrainian and American officials alike.

Oleg Nikolenko, the spokesperson for Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry, said in a statement that Spartz should "stop trying to earn extra political capital on baseless speculation around the topic of war in our country and the grief of Ukrainians."

Ukrainian kids feel war's effect

In a recent emotional interview, Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska said that her 9-year-old son used to be interested in playing the piano, dancing, sports and other hobbies.  Now, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he wants to learn how to use a rifle.

“He wants to be a soldier,” she told NBC News. "I cannot bring him back to doing arts and humanities. The only thing he wants to do is martial arts and how to use a rifle.”

The war in Ukraine has internally displaced more than 8 million people in the country, and more than 6.5 million people from Ukraine have fled to other countries in the region, according to the United Nations. Women and children make up about 90% of those fleeing.

At least two children are killed daily in Ukraine, where the nation's armed forces continue efforts to beat back Russia's invasion, according to the humanitarian group UNICEF.

Contributing: Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ukraine war: Russia strikes port; 2 American deaths, report says