THE Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on Friday that almost half of Ukrainian grain production remains in storage as Russia continues to block the country’s main export routes through the Black Sea and Azov Seas, calling it a “disaster” for global food security.
Addressing Indonesia’s foreign policy think tank on an online forum on Friday, the Ukrainian president said: “22 million tonnes of grain are stored in silos today. “We can not supply them in international markets where they are needed at the moment.”
The Ukrainian president even said that the UN estimates that famine could affect an additional 50 million people this year is a “conservative” assessment, implying that the number of victims will be higher. “Hunger does not come by itself, it is always accompanied by political chaos that worsens the situation, destroys people’s lives, creating precarious conditions for ordinary people,” he said.
“In July, when many countries will run out of stocks of last year’s crop, it will become clear that disaster is really comingHe said characteristically.
The Ukrainian president also accepted an invitation to attend the G20 summit in Indonesia in November. He urged the hosts to include “only friendly nations”, implying that Russia should be excluded from the Bali summit.
Zelensky had earlier new telephone conversation with the Prime Minister of Italy Mario Draghi, and the prospects of unblocking Ukrainian grain exports were discussed, in order to address the food crisis that threatens the poorest countries in the world.
The accusations against Russia, which the West blames for the global grain supply problem due to its attack on Ukraine, are “baseless”, the Russian president said. Vladimir Putin in a telephone conversation with Austrian Chancellor Carl Nehammer.
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