ANKARA: Russian officials has told Ankara that Russia had "nothing to do" with the attacks on Ukraine's important Black Sea port of Odesa,  Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said in a statement.

The defense minister, who spoke to Turkiye's state-run Anadolu Agency said, "in our communication with Russia, the Russians told us that they had absolutely nothing to do with these attacks and that they were investigating the situation very carefully and in depth."

We were concerned because such an incidence occurred immediately following last days’s grain shipment arrangement.

The minister also spoke with Ukrainian ministers over the phone and learned details about the incident, as per reports.

Russian missiles reportedly struck Odesa's infrastructure on Saturday, the Ukrainian military claimed. In Odesa, a missile struck one of the silos, and a second one detonated nearby.

The incident had not affected the port's capacity to load cargo and that grain shipments could continue, the minister said. According to the minister, Turkiye has issued a statement to the two nations expressing its desire to see them both continue their collaboration "calmly and patiently" under the terms of the Friday agreement. He also emphasized that Turkiye would continue to meet its commitments in the accord.

Afghan Taliban signs deal with Iran to import 350,000 tonnes of oil

Zelensky hits out Russia’s "barbarism" over Odesa port attack

Missiles sank Ukrainian warship in Odessa port strikes: Russia