Denys Shmyhal: Ukraine is well aware of what starvation means. And we do not want millions of people to die in the 21st century because of russia

Almost a century after the Holodomor, russia again provokes artificial famine. This time through the blockade of Ukrainian food exports. Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal emphasized this during the International Summit on Food Security within the framework of the Grain from Ukraine humanitarian program.

The event was opened by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In total, representatives of almost 30 countries and international organizations took part in the summit live and online. The working group on the preparation of proposals for providing assistance to countries suffering from an acute food crisis is headed by Andriy Yermak.

"President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed to strengthen the humanitarian component of Ukrainian grain exports by initiating the Grain from Ukraine program. Ukraine and the participating countries will buy Ukrainian agricultural products and transfer them to places where there is a threat of hunger. And today we all gathered here to start the wide implementation of this project", - said Denys Shmyhal.

The initiative is implemented in partnership with the World Food Program. More than 20 countries have already confirmed their participation in the program, which have raised about USD 150 million. For its part, the Government of Ukraine has allocated UAH 900 million for the purchase of wheat and corn for the Republic of Sudan, the Republic of Yemen, the Republic of Kenya and the Federal Republic of Nigeria in accordance with the Presidential Decree.

"Ukraine is well aware of what starvation means. And we do not want millions of people to die again in the 21st century because of russia and its inhuman methods of coercion to obedience. Therefore, I urge the countries of the world to unite around the initiative of the President of Ukraine Grain from Ukraine", urged Denys Shmyhal.