Without the Russian Federation: Ukraine offers a new solution on the Grain Agreement
18.07.2023 - 08:30
The President of Ukraine talked with UN Secretary General António Guterres. It was about the necessity of the “grain corridor”.
“I sent official letters to the President of Turkey Erdogan and UN Secretary General Guterres with a proposal to continue the work of the Grain Initiative or its counterpart in a tripartite format – as it is the most reliable. Ukraine, the UN and Turkey can jointly ensure the operation of the food corridor and the inspection of ships. Africa has a right to stability. Asia has a right to stability. Europe has the right to stability,” President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized in his address.
According to him, Ukrainian food is basic security for almost 400 million people.
The results of the Grain Agreement speak volumes: almost 33 million tons of agricultural products were exported to 45 countries of the world.
Read also: Agricultural market in Ukraine and the world. Analysts’ forecasts.
“Yes, 60% of the volumes went to the countries of Africa and Asia, in particular Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan. They also went to China, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen. It is very important – our food exports allow us to save lives in countries like Yemen and Somalia… different people… different religions, different ethnic origins… But they all have the same right to life. And the world must protect this right,” the head of state emphasized.
Zelenskyi also spoke with UN Secretary General António Guterres.
They agreed to work together and with the responsible states to restore food security and the supply of agricultural products via the Black Sea routes.
As previously reported by USM, on July 17, Russian Foreign Ministry representative Maria Zakharova and Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced that the Russian Federation was withdrawing from the Grain Agreement. At the same time, the operation of the “grain corridor” is possible without Russia. Navigation in the Black Sea could be supported by three NATO countries — Romania, Turkey and Bulgaria.
