<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares announced this Sunday a new Spanish contribution to 'Grain from Ukraine', an initiative of the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, to supply grain to the poorest countries in Africa and alleviate the consequences of the Russian invasion against one of the main grain suppliers of the World Food Programme (WFP) and the fourth largest grain exporter in the world.</strong></h4> "We condemn the acts of the Russian Federation against global food security, including the recent bombings against the port of Odessa and critical energy infrastructure throughout the country, as well as the planting of mines on Ukrainian farmland," Albares said in a video posted on social media. "To address this situation, Ukraine and the European Union have taken a decisive stance in the interest of food security," he continued, "We have strengthened the Solidarity Corridors initiative, developed new maritime routes through the territorial waters of some EU Member States and “Spain is committed to food security, we have participated in the two previous editions of the ‘Grain from Ukraine’ initiative and we are participating in this one,” Albares continued. “I am pleased to announce today a new Spanish contribution of 1.5 million euros that will be channeled through the World Food Programme, as part of our long-term commitment to support Ukraine and combat global food insecurity,” he added. “I want to take this opportunity to thank President Zelensky and the Ukrainian Government and people for their courageous actions and this generous initiative, which will help millions of people around the world,” he concluded. The ‘Grain from Ukraine’ programme was launched by Zelensky in November 2022 to supply grain to the poorest countries in Africa. Donations to this initiative amount to around 220 million dollars from more than 30 countries and international organisations. Before the Russian invasion, Ukraine was one of the main suppliers of grain to the World Food Programme and the fourth largest grain exporter in the world. The country also provided more than 15% of global corn exports, 10% of wheat, 15-20% of barley and more than 50% of sunflower oil. The blockade of Ukrainian ports by the Black Sea Fleet in the first weeks of the invasion disrupted grain exports, rapidly driving up global food prices and fuelling food crises, greatly increasing the risk of famine in poorer countries. David Beasley, executive director of the UN World Food Programme, has estimated that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has pushed some 70 million people to the brink of starvation worldwide. The aim of the Ukraine Grain programme is to prevent famine and provide food to no fewer than five million people in the poorest countries in Africa and Asia, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Kenya and Nigeria. Grain from Ukraine is planned to be expanded and support will be provided to more countries, including Mozambique, Malawi, Madagascar, Djibouti, Liberia, Mauritania and Lebanon, among others.
