November 26, 2022 19:17
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hosted an international summit in Kyiv on Saturday to call for the implementation of his country’s “Grain from Ukraine” initiative, which aims to export grain to countries most at risk of famine and drought.
The Ukrainian president said that the initiative proved that global food security for Kiev “is not just empty words.” The Russian presidency says that Ukrainian exports through the Black Sea do not reach countries most at risk of famine and drought.
Zelensky added that Kyiv has collected about $150 million from more than 20 countries and the European Union to export grain to countries such as Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia and Yemen.
“We plan to send at least 60 ships from Ukrainian ports to countries most at risk of famine and drought,” he added.
The President of Hungary and the Prime Ministers of Belgium, Poland and Lithuania attended the summit in person, while the Presidents of France and Germany and the President of the European Commission delivered speeches via video link.
The initiative, announced by Kyiv this month, comes on top of a UN-brokered deal that has allowed some Ukrainian grain shipments to pass through the Black Sea, a key export route for major wheat producers.
Zelensky said on Saturday that the grain initiative from Ukraine “will be one of the biggest contributions to achieving global stability, and a very realistic and necessary step.”
Source: agencies
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