Ukraine's Grain Initiative can give more guarantees of food security – Zelenskyy

KYIV. Feb 23 (Interfax-Ukraine) – If the Black Sea Grain Initiative worked at full capacity, Ukraine would have been able to export more food, there would have been more food security guarantees, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video address on Wednesday evening.

That day he discussed the Grain Initiative with the President of Pakistan.

During the period when the initiative was in effect, “43 countries have already received more than 22 million tons of food through our sea exports. This is a significant Ukrainian contribution to global food security and stabilization of the global food market,” the president said.

“If it weren’t for this initiative of ours, unfortunately, there would be political and social chaos in some countries in Africa and Asia, and the cost of living crisis that various nations experienced last year would be much more acute,” Zelenskyy said.

However, he said, “but if this initiative of ours had worked at full capacity, if Russia had not tried to slow it down, we would have been able to export more food products. That is, there would be significantly more guarantees of food security in the world.”

“Our partners know exactly what Russia’s deliberate actions are undermining food security. Still we are working to provide the necessary stability,” he said, adding that “our sea food exports benefit Ukraine.”

“About a million Ukrainians work in industries related to agricultural production. And for them, the fact that we unblocked maritime exports last year is a guarantee of personal and family social security,” Zelenskyy said.