Ukraine ready to share drone expertise for creating maritime security, agriculture – Sybiha
Minister of Foreign Affairs Andriy Sybiha named three key components of food security in wartime and stressed that Ukraine is ready to share its experience and supports sanctions against the Russian Federation for illegal trade in Ukrainian grain.
At the opening of the IV International Food Security Summit "Food from Ukraine" in Kyiv on Wednesday, Sybiha said Ukraine will continue to play a key role in global food security.
"Our experience shows that in times of war, food security consists of three key components. The first is the freedom and security of supply chains. I thank the Armed Forces of Ukraine, thanks to which sea exports from Ukraine are possible today at all," he said.
The minister said reliable sea and land corridors are the basis of the expected supplies. And the war has taught us that both formats, sea and land routes, should work.
Sybiha stressed the importance of continuing to defend freedom of navigation, demining and the general security of the Black Sea region.
"It is absolutely clear that as long as the Crimea peninsula remains occupied and militarized by Russia, we will not achieve full security in the Black Sea. Therefore, the de-occupation of Crimea should be at the center of all Black Sea strategies," the Foreign Minister said.
The second component, according to the minister, is "partnerships that create development, not dependence."
"In the coming years, the demand for food will grow, especially rapidly, primarily in Africa, south of the Sahara. Ukraine is ready, together with governments, regional development banks and the private sector, to move from one-time supplies to the development of local infrastructure, processing and logistics hubs, irrigation systems, mechanization of digital solutions, and training of specialists," he said.
As Sybiha stated, the self-sufficiency of partners in food security is "the ultimate goal of Ukraine" and "a guarantee that they will never face the threat of hunger."
"We are ready to share our experience, in particular the experience of using drones, both to create a maritime security architecture and directly in agriculture," he said.
The third component is effective counteraction to those who disrupt the balance of food security, the minister added. He recalled that before the war, Ukraine provided food for 400 million people in the world, but the Russian war put their lives at risk.
In addition, over 138,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian land remain mined.
"Russia is using food as a weapon. Russia seeks to turn the Black Sea into a gray zone of its influence, its actions violate a number of provisions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea," the minister said.
He also said that thanks to the support of partners and the strength of the Ukrainian people, Ukrainian agricultural exports have almost reached pre-war levels.
"At the same time, we understand that more can be done to counter the aggressor. We support sanctions against Russia for the export and trade of stolen grain. But we call not to use international trading platforms to sell stolen grain," Sybiha said.
He also noted the importance of preventing Russia from being re-elected to the Council of the International Maritime Organization.
In 2022, the first International Summit on Food Security launched the initiative of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy "Grain from Ukraine" to support countries suffering from hunger. The second summit in 2023 focused on unblocking food supply routes and ensuring uninterrupted grain exports from Ukraine. The third International Summit aimed at developing sustainable food systems and strengthening the health of future generations through school feeding reform, the experience and material base of which Ukraine is ready to share.
