Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised EC’s Solidarity Lanes scheme at the Grain for Ukraine summit.
She reminded that the Soviet Union weaponized food against Ukraine 90 years ago, causing the Holodomor and killing millions of Ukrainians, stressing that Moscow is weaponizing food again.
In a statement released on Saturday, the EC noted that Russia’s move is depriving food importers of access to food.
Von der Leyen stressed that Russia is targeting Ukraine’s food production and blocking ports, preventing the country from exporting food.
She added that Moscow “uses disinformation to blame others for its despicable actions” and stressed the importance of fighting against this.
Von der Leyen commended Ukraine for its determination to export food, which shows “unwavering commitment to global food security, international responsibility, and solidarity with those most in need.”
She reminded that the Commission established the Solidarity Lanes in May, which were used to export more than 17 million tonnes of grains and food from Ukraine.
Besides food, the scheme is also used to export other Ukrainian products and is helping to keep the Ukrainian economy rolling, with von der Leyen stressing that the scheme helped Ukraine to generate revenues of nearly 20 billion euros.
She added that the EC, the European Investment Bank (EIB), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and the World Bank (WB) provided an additional billion euros to fund the scheme and expand its capacity.
Black Sea routes remain open
Commenting on the Black Sea Grain Initiative signed by Ukraine and Russia, von der Leyen noted that the EC welcomes the extension of the agreement for additional 120 days.
She noted that the EC decided to pay for the transport of 40,000 tonnes of grains from Ukraine “whatever the costs are” and stressed the importance of showing to the world “that we will not let our most vulnerable partners down.”
She pointed out that the Commission honours Ukraine’s victims of the Holodomor who “died in silence, starving to death and, at that time, the world did not rise to help them.”
“We will not let this happen again,” von der Leyen stressed and concluded that the EC continues to stand with Ukraine.
