Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday that Russian bombings of southern Ukraine’s grain export ports constituted an attack on global food security and that no terrorist “except Russia” threatened so many nations simultaneously.
“Every Russian attack on these ports is a blow to world food prices, social and political stability in Africa and Asia,” Zelensky said in his daily message, posted on social media, after another night of shelling.
After several attacks since the beginning of August, last night the Russian army again attacked port infrastructures on the Danube with ‘drones’.
“As a result of enemy attacks on one of the Danube ports, grain warehouses were damaged,” Odessa Region Governor Oleg Kiper said on social media.
In his message, Zelensky listed the Russian attacks on the ports of Reni, Izmail, Pivdennyi, Odessa and Chornomorsk, commenting that “the basic things that give every society a normal life are food on the family table” and that “no terrorist in the world, except for Russia, has never so flagrantly and deliberately attacked the security of so many nations at the same time.”
“We need to respond to this. All of us! We need to neutralize this, actively, with joint efforts,” declared the Ukrainian president, who reiterated his thanks and request for international help, through air defense systems, weapons, sanctions, financial resources . and political pressure on Russia, as “the main thing that now guarantees security and the return of peace not only in one country, but in the whole world.”
US diplomacy also reacted in the same way to the recent Russian attacks, saying that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin “doesn’t care” about essential food supplies to developing countries.
“This is unacceptable. Putin does not care about global food security,” US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters in Washington.
Ukraine also announced on Wednesday the departure of the first commercial cargo ship from the port of Odessa through the new route in the Black Sea, defying Russia, which has threatened to attack these ships since it abandoned the Ukrainian grain export agreement a month ago.
“Ukraine has just taken an important step towards restoring freedom of navigation in the Black Sea. The first civilian ship has passed through the new Ukrainian humanitarian corridor, starting from the port of Odessa, ”he said on X (former Twitter).
Washington asked Moscow on Wednesday to return “immediately” to the Black Sea Grains Initiative, which linked Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations, with a view to world food security and price stabilization, in the framework of the Ukrainian conflict. , which began with the Russian invasion on February 24 of last year.
“The contrast is very clear. Our Ukrainian partners are inspiring the world, while Russia is starving the world by weaponizing food,” said Vedant Patel.
Source: TSF
