Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyi has called for expansion of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which established a humanitarian maritime corridor to allow ships to export grain and other foodstuffs from Ukraine, to include the ports of Mykolaiv and Olvia in the Mykolaiv region.
Zelenskyi made the call while addressing the G20 summit, the CFTS portal reports, citing the Office of the President of Ukraine.
"Thanks to the strong participation of the United Nations, Turkey, and other partners, we have shown how cooperation among a few can restore food security to many. I believe that our export Grain Initiative deserves to be extended indefinitely, regardless of when the war ends. The right to food is the fundamental right of every person in the world," Zelenskyi said.
The Ukrainian president added that Ukraine has exported over 10 million tons of food by sea since July.
"We can increase exports by an additional 1 million tons per month. To achieve this, I propose expanding the grain export initiative to our other ports, particularly the ports of Mykolaiv and Olvia in the Mykolaiv region," he said.
Zelensky also called on all G20 countries to join the initiative to help deliver food to the poorest.
"We have already started this initiative—the Grain from Ukraine initiative—and the first vessel, Nord Vind, is departing for Ethiopia. It has 27,000 tons of wheat on board. This is an amount of food for almost 100,000 people per year. There could be many such vessels from Ukraine, meaning that many people in poor countries will be saved from hunger," he said.
He added that Ukraine can export 45 million tons of food this year.
"And let a significant part of it be sent to those who are suffering the most. What exactly are we proposing? Every country can join with a specific contribution and become a co-creator of the victory over hunger and the food crisis," he said.
