RUSSIA’S FREE GRAIN OFFER TO AFRICAN NATIONS ‘LAUGHABLE’: BLINKEN

Tue 08 August 2023:

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has crticised Moscow for its offer to supply six African nations with free grain, saying the proposal is “laughable”.

“None of this is a laughing matter, but it’s laughable. What Russia was proposing is – was to get grain to a half dozen countries, about 50,000 tons. The Black Sea Grain Initiative delivered 20 million tons to lower and middle-income countries. In other words, what the Russians were proposing in compensation for getting out of the agreement is a drop in the bucket of what countries were getting and what they need.

And by the way, I was at the United Nations last week. Ninety-one countries signed on to a declaration saying that food should not be used as a weapon of war, and never mind what the United States is saying, country after country – and notably countries in Africa – were all calling upon Russia to get back into the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

Blinken also said, that the majority of the grain that was getting out through the Black Sea Grain Initiative – more than 50 percent – was going to developing countries, including many in Africa; two-thirds of the wheat going to developing countries, including countries in Africa; and as I said, the equivalent of 18 billion loaves of bread. But meanwhile, what’s so important is this: Resolving this situation, Russia getting back into the Black Sea Grain Initiative, would be the quickest thing anyone could do to actually effectively address food insecurity.

There is so much more that we need to do and we are doing to address it in a comprehensive way and a sustainable way. Since the Russian aggression, just going back a year and a half, the United States has provided about $15.5 billion to global food security. We are by far the largest donor to the World Food Programme. We provide 50 percent of its budget; Russia, by the way, provides less than 1 percent of its budget.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

______________________________________________________________

FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:

TWITTER (CLICK HERE)
https://twitter.com/IpIndependent