Zelenskyy tells Ethiopian PM about Russia's attempt to disrupt grain exports

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held the first phone conversation in the history of bilateral relations with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali on 20 July.

Source: Ukrainian President’s website; Zelenskyy in his evening address

Details: The President of Ukraine informed the Ethiopian Prime Minister about Russia's unilateral withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the illegal blocking of shipping, and the attacks on Ukraine's port and energy infrastructure.

Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine had delivered nearly 300,000 tonnes of food to Ethiopia as part of the Black Sea Grain Initiative and another 90,000 tonnes of grain as part of the Grain from Ukraine humanitarian initiative.

The President stressed that Ukraine is ready to continue to be a guarantor of global food security and is interested in developing bilateral relations with Ethiopia in the areas of security, digitalisation, etc. 

Zelenskyy also called for the creation of a platform for dialogue with African countries.

"The voice of Ethiopia, the African Union, the whole of Africa is very important to us," Zelenskyy said. 

In his evening address, Zelenskyy also said that he had spoken to the Ethiopian Prime Minister about Russia's attempt to disrupt Ukraine’s grain exports.

Quote: "Today, about 20 million people in Ethiopia are on the verge of famine. This is one of the most critical situations in the world. Last year, Ukrainian exports saved the lives of at least one million Ethiopians – that's how much food we managed to send to this country, almost 300,000 tonnes. And if it wasn't for the Russian aggression, we could have saved many more lives and provided much more security. 

I am confident that this year we can do it – all together, the whole world. No one in the world is interested in allowing Russia to destroy the global food market. 

And by the way, we have already started preparing for the UN Security Council meeting scheduled for tomorrow, which is dedicated to this very issue, food security. I am grateful to everyone in the world who helps!"

Background: On 17 July, Russia terminated the grain agreement with Ukraine, withdrew security guarantees for the grain corridor, and threatened to fire on foreign ships sailing to Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea.

At the same time, since the beginning of the week, Russian troops have been attacking Odesa and other cities in the south of Ukraine with greater intensity. On the night of 18-19 July, Russia attacked grain terminals in the ports of Odesa and Chornomorsk, causing damage to traders' infrastructure and civilian infrastructure. The centre of Odesa was also hit by a Russian strike on the night of 19-20 July.

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