According to the United States, there is no real alternative to Black Sea grain transport

By: STA Date: 2023. 07. 31. 09:30

The United States supports efforts to renew Black Sea grain shipments because there is no real alternative to the route, the United States ambassador to the United Nations said on Monday as he presented his country’s program to the upcoming US presidency of the Security Council.

(Photo: Pixabay)

Linda Thomas-Greenfield said at a press conference that they support the efforts of the UN Secretary-General, the government of Turkey and others to encourage Russia to return to the Black Sea Grain Initiative in order to allow grain shipments to continue through the Black Sea. He also reported that “negotiations behind the scenes” were taking place and that the United States was encouraging other actors to pressure Russia to return to the framework of the original agreement. The American UN diplomat stated that there are efforts to find alternative solutions to replace the Black Sea route, but in terms of the amount of grain that can be transported, they cannot be compared to the Black Sea, through which hundreds of thousands of tons of crops were delivered to the countries of the Global South. The Black Sea Grain Initiative is the most effective way to get as much grain as possible to the world market and to people in need, said Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

The agreement was concluded last summer with the mediation of the UN and Turkey

Through this, Russia contributed to the resumption of grain shipments from several Ukrainian ports despite the war. Russia suspended its participation in the program in mid-July. The ambassador also condemned the recent Russian attacks against the Ukrainian agricultural infrastructure, adding that 180,000 tons of grain were destroyed, which would have covered the food needs of tens of thousands of people. The diplomat also announced that action against food security and famine will be the top priority of the United States in the UN Security Council, as the body’s president in August. He added that his country has set an ambitious goal for the international community: the complete elimination of hunger in the world and that no one dies due to starvation. He drew attention to the fact that around 345 million people in 79 countries of the world face acute food insecurity, which everyone is responsible for eradicating and for which they must do and give more. MTI