It is necessary to achieve an extension of the Istanbul food deal, as this will help feed the world, US President Joe Biden said during a speech at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday.
“I am grateful for the work of the UN, including the leadership of Secretary General António Guterres, thanks to which it was possible to create a mechanism that allows exporting grain from Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea … We need to ensure that it is extended,” Biden said during of his speech, noting “faith in the need to feed the world”.
The US President added that Russia is trying to blame the food crisis on the sanctions that Western countries have imposed against it. However, according to him, “our sanctions regimes quite clearly allow Russia to export food and fertilizers.”
Biden also said the US will donate $2.9 billion in humanitarian aid and food security assistance this year.
The departure of 10 ships with 169.3 thousand tons of agricultural products is scheduled from the ports of Greater Odessa to the countries of Africa, Asia and Europe on Sunday, the Ukrainian Sea Ports Administration (USPA) reports.
“By 10:00 am, 8 ships left the ports of Greater Odessa, and 2 more are waiting for their turn and favorable conditions,” the agency noted on Facebook.
In total, since the release of the first vessel with Ukrainian food, 3.7 million tons of food have already been exported, and the total number of vessels for the countries of Asia, Europe and Africa has reached 165.
As reported, in Istanbul on July 22, with the participation of the UN, Ukraine, Turkey and Russia, two documents were signed on the creation of a corridor for the export of grain from three Ukrainian ports – Chornomorsk, Odessa and Pivdenny.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed confidence that the signing of an agreement on grain would eliminate all problems with the formation of an agricultural corridor along the Black Sea, the Anadolu agency reported on Friday.
“Today, with the participation of representatives of the UN, the Russian Federation and Ukraine, a document will be signed that will eliminate problems on the way to the formation of an agricultural corridor,” Erdogan said.
On the eve of “Anadolu” reported that Russia and Ukraine on July 22 in Istanbul are ready to sign an agreement on grain. Turkish President and UN Secretary General António Guterres will attend the signing ceremony.
At last week’s talks between Russia, Turkey, the UN and Ukraine on the export of Ukrainian grain, the participants agreed to establish a coordination center in Istanbul and reached an agreement on joint control of grain in ports.
