The G7 conference in Germany came to an end on Tuesday with leaders promising to use $5 billion to assist safeguard supply in response to Vladimir Putin’s assault on food.
President Joe Biden departed the conference after three days in the Bavarian Alps, where the Russian invasion of Ukraine had dominated discussions, to travel from Germany to Madrid for a NATO summit.
According to a senior administration official, the United States will provide more than $2.76 billion of the funds needed to counter Putin’s effects on food security.
‘His actions have strangled food and agricultural production, have used food as a weapon of war, including through the destruction of agricultural storage, processing and testing facilities, the theft of grain and farm equipment, and the effect of blockaded back Black Sea ports.
‘Estimates suggest that up to 40 million people could be pushed into poverty in 2022 as a result of Putin’s war in Ukraine and its secondary effects, most especially around food security around the globe.’
At the first meeting of the day, Biden ignored a question about what the leaders were doing about getting grain out of blockaded Ukraine.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson answered instead, saying: ‘We’re working on it.’
A senior administration official said more than half the funding – some $2.76 billion – will come from the Unite States to fight Putin’s impact on food security.
‘His actions have strangled food and agricultural production, have used food as a weapon of war, including through the destruction of agricultural storage, processing and testing facilities, the theft of grain and farm equipment, and the effect of blockaded back Black Sea ports.
‘Estimates suggest that up to 40 million people could be pushed into poverty in 2022 as a result of Putin’s war in Ukraine and its secondary effects, most especially around food security around the globe.’
At the first meeting of the day, Biden ignored a question about what the leaders were doing about getting grain out of blockaded Ukraine.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson answered instead, saying: ‘We’re working on it.’
According to the official, the presidents of the United States, Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Japan decided to create a coordinated strategy to address Beijing’s “non-market” international trade practices.
‘You’ll see leaders release a collective statement, which is unprecedented in the context of the G7, acknowledging the harms caused by China’s non-transparent, market-distorting industrial directives,’ the official said.
On Monday, they heard from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who joined by video link.
He asked for urgent help to end the war before the bitter winter months undermined his troops’ ability to fight back.
Hours later they condemned an ‘abominable’ Russian strike on a crowded shopping mall in Kremenchuk, Ukraine.
‘Indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilians constitute a war crime,’ they said.
‘Russian President Putin and those responsible will be held to account.’
Some 1,000 shoppers were believed to be in the Kremenchuk center when it was hit.
The death toll stood at 18 on Tuesday morning, but that number was expected to increase as rescue teams searched the debris.
The pronouncement on food security made on Tuesday sheds insight on a new front in Putin’s conflict.
The majority of Ukraine’s exports of grains and wheat go through its Black Sea ports, which are currently being blocked by Russian vessels.
As a result, food prices have increased globally and there have been fears that up to 47 million people may experience severe famine this year.
According to David Miliband, president of the International Rescue Committee, “Ukraine has long been the breadbasket not only for its neighbors in the area or for Europe, but for the entire globe.”
‘Blockades on ports in the Black Sea are holding thousands of tons of wheat, grain and fertilizer hostage – with devastating consequences for millions already caught in growing hunger crises worldwide. These blockades must be lifted immediately.’