Italy supports efforts to resume the grain deal and calls on the Russian Federation to reconsider the decision to withdraw, Prime Minister George Meloni said.
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Speaking at the opening of the UN food meeting in the Italian capital, she noted that the conflict in Ukraine “hardly affected the distribution of grain in the world.”
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“Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative further worsens the global food crisis. We will continue to support all efforts to restart this key initiative and urge the Russian Federation to reconsider its decision,” Meloni said.
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The prime minister added that the conflict in Ukraine shook the energy price market and caused a wave of inflation around the world. According to her, “new and old problems” have emerged in various African countries that are already suffering from wars and climate shocks.
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The grain deal ceased on July 18, the Russian Federation notified Turkey, Ukraine and the UN of its objection to its extension. Russian President Vladimir Putin previously noted that the terms of the deal with Russia were not kept, despite the efforts of the UN, because Western countries were not going to keep their promises. Putin has repeatedly pointed out that the West exported most of the Ukrainian grain to their states, and the main goal of the deal – the supply of grain to needy countries, including African ones – was never realized.
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After the Black Sea Grain Initiative ceased to function and the maritime humanitarian corridor was curtailed, all ships en route to Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea are considered as potential carriers of military cargo from midnight on July 20, 2023 and are considered involved in the Ukrainian conflict on the side of the Kiev regime, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
