White House on Russia’s disruption of the grain deal: “This will harm millions of vulnerable people around the world”

Russia’s withdrawal from the grain deal will worsen food security and harm millions of vulnerable people around the world. This was stated by Adam Hodge, spokesperson for the National Security Council of the United States.

“The Black Sea Grain Initiative has been critical to reducing food prices around the world, which have risen sharply as a result of Russia’s brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine,” Hodge said.

He also noted that “more than half of the 32 million tons of grain and food shipped under the agreement went to developing countries, including some of the world’s most food insecure regions.”

Hodge pointed out that “every shipment under the agreement has helped alleviate hardship in the world’s poorest countries, as the availability of grain on world markets lowers food prices for all.”

On July 17, the Russian dictator’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said that the grain deal had been effectively suspended. On the same day, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that the Black Sea Initiative would cease to function on July 18. Russia is withdrawing its guarantees of safety of navigation.

According to Peskov, Russia “will immediately return to the ‘grain deal’ as soon as the agreements related to it are fulfilled.”

It was also reported that on the morning of July 16, the last ship with Ukrainian grain under the grain deal left the port of Odesa.

For its part, China hopes that the Black Sea Grain Initiative to transport grain from Ukraine through the Black Sea will continue to be fully implemented.