Ukraine and its partners are guarantees of global food security – ArmiyaInform
Read for: 5 min. November 26, 2022, 9:23 p.m
According to the results of the first International Summit on Food Security regarding the implementation of the Ukrainian humanitarian initiative Zerno, about 150 million dollars were collected from Ukraine, which will be used for the purchase of products for countries in Africa and Asia that are suffering from hunger. About this using President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a conversation with media representatives based on his own results in Kyiv.
“The essence of our new humanitarian initiative is very simple, transparent, very important. We plan to send at least 60 ships from Ukrainian ports to the countries most affected by the food crisis and in need of urgent assistance. This is a country like Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Congo, Kenya, Yemen and others,” the Head of State said.
In the words of the President, the Grain from Ukraine initiative emphasizes the importance of food security and the global role of Ukraine and its partners in ensuring this security.
“I would like to remind you that food security is one of the elements of the Ukrainian formula for the world. Peace for the whole world. Russian aggression hit our people, all the peoples of Europe and many peoples of the world. Therefore, our humanitarian initiative Grain from Ukraine, together with the current export grain initiative, is an absolutely official and powerful response to the threat created by Russia. I believe that our joint responses – Ukraine and our partners – will be sufficient to alleviate the acuteness of the food crisis and save millions of people from hunger, and therefore dozens of countries – from social chaos,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyi.
The President will decide that today more than 20 states and the European Union are financially participating in this initiative, and more than ten states will join. He offered the partners of Ukraine to apply for the method of participation in the program that meets the existing conditions.
“Our diplomats and partners work constantly to expand the circle of participants of the initiative. Now we are already summing up the money. To date, we have collected about 150 million dollars at the first founding event,” concluded the Head of the Ukrainian State.
Volodymyr Zelenskyi In addition to the fact that today, based on the results of the summit, the Joint Statement was approved, which is open to joining other states during the entire period of the Grain from Ukraine initiative.
According to him, global security and protection of people are not empty words for Ukraine, because our country knows well what hunger is like. It is today that the memory of the victims of the Holodomor – the genocide committed by the Kremlin, which took the lives of millions of Ukrainians in 1932-1933 – will be commemorated.
“Our people remember this terrible silence, which was precisely in those years – 1932-1933. Now we must do everything possible to save as many people as possible and restore as many elements of global security as possible. We must deprive Russia of this weapon – a weapon called hunger,” the President stressed.
Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the leaders who came to Kyiv to personally participate in the first International Summit on Food Security: President of Hungary Katalin Novak, Prime Minister of Belgium Alexander De Croo, Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki and Prime Minister Lithuania’s Ingrid Šimonite, as well as to all leaders of state and international organizations who joined the event in online format.
“I would also like to thank UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and President of Turkey Erdogan separately for their participation in protecting the grain export initiative, which has already become one of the important global guarantees of stability,” the Head of State said.
“All of us together demonstrate that the elements of the Ukrainian peace formula are rational and can be implemented in the interests of Ukraine, throughout Europe and the whole world,” Volodymyr Zelenskyi said.
For his part, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Belgium stated that his country supports the Grain from Ukraine initiative and is pleased to have the opportunity to join it. He highly appreciated Ukraine’s contribution to the protection of world food security at a time when it itself is being demanded from Russia’s aggression.
“You have shown that in difficult times, the only way to overcome these challenges is in unity. Together we can overcome these difficulties,” said Oleksandr De Croo.
President Katalin Novak noted that Hungary supports various programs and initiatives, including “Grain from Ukraine”, within the framework of which it is obliged to ensure the transportation of 10 thousand tons of grain.
She also emphasized: the responsibility of the President of the Russian Federation for the war in Ukraine is obvious, and Hungarians have always opposed this bloodshed.
“We are neighbors with Ukraine, and our neighbors can count on our help. 2022 was a year of war. Let’s hope that 2023 will be a year of peace and reconstruction,” emphasized Katalin Novak.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki emphasized that the blockade of grain exports is Russia’s attempt to cause a famine in our world so that its conditions would be agreed to. He emphasized the inadmissibility of returning to doing business with Russia, especially after its attacks on the civil infrastructure of Ukraine.
The head of the Polish government called President Volodymyr Zelenskyi’s Grain from Ukraine initiative very generous, because Ukraine is ready from the Russian invasion and at the same time ready to help other countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia that are in a difficult situation.
“Of course, we want to support this initiative, that’s why we allocate 20 euros,” he said and added that Poland has never stopped helping Ukrainians in their heroic struggle against the barbaric Russian regime.
Prime Minister of Lithuania Ingrid Šimonite noted that she appreciates the opportunity to be in Kyiv on this day and personally honor the memory of millions of victims of the Holodomor – the genocide of the Ukrainian people by the Stalinist regime, which created a number of artificial famines.
She called it symbolic that Volodymyr Zelenskyi gathered leaders today to launch the Grain from Ukraine initiative.
“Lithuania, together with other countries, joins this initiative in order to ensure that every family in Africa or Asia has bread, as well as to provide assistance to those farmers who continue to sow and harvest this crop,” said Ingrid Šimonite.
The Prime Minister of Lithuania reminded that her country has warned the world that Russia is again using grain and food to push Ukraine to lay down its arms or to have its partners somehow influence Ukraine so that it agrees to negotiations on Russian terms. She believes that insecurity and lack of security will remain until Ukraine regains control over its territory.
“Today’s event can also serve as an opportunity to expand information about the tragic events of the famine. Perhaps many people in the world have not heard about it yet. But the final month ends with the fact that the only long-term solution to the food problem is the final victory of Ukraine. That is why we must and will provide assistance to Ukraine with weapons so that it can quickly achieve victory,” Ingrida Shimonite summed up.