A vessel with 1,000 tons of wheat flour for Palestine arrived from Turkey to Jordan as part of the presidential program Grain from Ukraine, the head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak, said on his Telegram channel.
“President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Grain from Ukraine initiative in cooperation with the WFP sent the first of three shipments to Palestine, which will provide food aid to more than 100,000 families caught in the middle of the conflict between Israel and Hamas,” he wrote, noting that this shipment was the first to be delivered to Palestine under this initiative.
Yermak emphasized that Ukraine continued to provide vital assistance to innocent civilians suffering from food shortages and at risk of starvation.
“Ukraine has always been and will continue to be a donor of food security for the whole world. Over the course of the program’s existence, Ukraine has supplied essential foodstuffs to many countries, including Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and Yemen. Food security is one of the important points of the Formula for Peace, and I call on all countries to join our collective efforts to achieve it,” he wrote.
According to Yermak, other ships are also scheduled to depart in the coming months. “In total, Ukraine plans to deliver more than 7,000 tons of wheat flour to Gaza under the initiative with the support of donors, including Norway, Austria, Estonia, France and Iceland,” the head of the Presidential Office said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that both Israel and Palestine have been invited by the Ukrainian side to the Peace Summit to be held on June 15-16 in Switzerland.
“We have no double standards. That is why, despite – whether someone likes it or not, we invited both Palestine and Israel to the Peace Summit. And representatives of the Global South. We have invited all countries to our Summit. We are ready to hear all thoughts, ready to talk to them all,” Zelensky said while speaking to the media on the margins of the Dialogue – Shangri-La conference in Singapore on Sunday.
Among the uninvited countries, the president noted, is only Russia.
“And not just because they are aggressors. Although that is point number 1. Point number 2 is that we had summits with Russia as, for example, within the Normandy format, after which they did not fulfill the agreements and continued to kill us and block processes, including the ceasefire,” he said.
Earlier, as part of his speech at the Dialogue – Shangri La conference in Singapore, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for an objective assessment of Ukraine’s position on the situation in the Gaza Strip, stressing that Ukraine is a just country that respects international law and the UN charter and recognizes two states – both Israel and Palestine.
The Spanish government on Tuesday called for the recognition of the state of Palestine within the 1967 borders, according to the Spanish TV channel RTVE.
“Spain will join more than 140 countries that have already recognized Palestine as a state. This is a historic decision whose sole purpose is to contribute to peace between Israelis and Palestinians,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said at a press conference following the government meeting. The press conference was broadcast by the Spanish TV channel RTVE.
He noted that “it is not directed against anyone, especially Israel”. According to Sanchez, Madrid recognizes Palestine within the 1967 borders. He specified that he hopes for the creation of a Palestine that includes the West Bank and Gaza Strip with its capital in East Jerusalem, governed by the Palestinian National Authority.
Spain recognized Palestine, along with Ireland and Norway, which sparked a serious political crisis in relations with Israel.
After it became known about the decision of these three countries to recognize the independence of the Palestinian state, the Israeli Foreign Ministry announced the recall of ambassadors to Spain, Ireland and Norway for consultations and threatened these countries with “serious consequences.” The ambassadors of these countries were summoned to the Israeli Foreign Ministry.
In connection with the escalation of the Israel-Palestine confrontation, which is accompanied by rocket and mortar shelling of settlements and riots in many cities of Israel, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine strongly recommends that Ukrainian citizens refrain from traveling to Israel and Palestine.
“Those citizens who are on the territory of Israel and Palestine should observe the rules of personal safety, carefully monitor messages and explanations of local competent authorities and their representatives, and strictly follow their instructions,” the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said.
It is noted that in case of an emergency or other circumstances that require an immediate consular response, one must contact the Ukrainian Embassy in the State of Israel (emergency phone number: 972 546 676 782, e-mail: emb_il@mfa.gov.ua), the diplomatic institution of Ukraine in Palestine (emergency phone number: 972 59 969 95 61, e-mail: pm_ps@mfa.gov.ua) or the round-the-clock hotline of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine by phone: 38 044 238 16 57, email: cons_or@mfa.gov.ua.
The Foreign Ministry recalled that the decision of the Israeli government to ban foreigners from entering the country from Ukraine’s territory, including citizens of Ukraine in the context of the current epidemiological situation, remains in force.
