While defending against full-scale aggression at home, Ukraine remains a significant food security guarantor for many countries and regions around the world.
This is the global contribution that our country has been proud to make during peacetime and continues to make during wartime.
Our fertile soil and hardworking farmers produce millions of tons of food per year, which has always been especially important for countries experiencing acute food insecurity.
Despite the war, mine-contaminated fields, and constant Russian missile and drone attacks on our port and grain infrastructure, Ukraine has found a way to transport its foodstuffs abroad by land and sea.
After Russia unilaterally withdrew from the critical Black Sea Grain Initiative in July 2023, we established our own maritime export corridor, which is protected by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Ukraine acted where others debated and doubted. And we were successful in launching this new maritime route. Over 100 vessels have already passed through it, carrying nearly 4 million tons of cargo.
We are now expanding not only our exports but also our humanitarian efforts, working with partners to provide grain free of charge to those in the world who need it the most.
Global food security is one of the ten elements of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Ukrainian Peace Formula, which he presented last year.
In November 2022, the President launched his humanitarian initiative "Grain from Ukraine." We work with our international partners to raise funds to purchase grain from Ukrainian farmers through this program.
The recipient countries are then determined by Ukraine and partner countries in collaboration with the UN World Food Program.
The initiative has already brought together more than 30 countries and raised approximately $220 million USD, and we continue to work to increase the number of donors and contributions.
170,000 tons of wheat have already been delivered to a number of countries, including Ethiopia, Somalia, Yemen, and Kenya. More than 12,000 tons are expected to be sent to Somalia and 32,000 tons to Sudan in the near future.
Despite Russia's daily attacks on our port infrastructure, our food exports have reached Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Kenya, Libya, Lebanon, Morocco, Somalia, Tunisia, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Iraq, Oman, Pakistan, Turkey, Yemen, and other countries. Our products are also delivered to Ethiopia and Sudan via transit ports.
Hunger is a horrible word, and Ukrainians are all too familiar with it from our own history. Our nation survived a genocide by hunger ninety years ago, when the totalitarian Soviet regime of Joseph Stalin forcibly took away all food from Ukrainians and cordoned off starving villages to prevent people from seeking rescue.
His goal was to destroy the nation of freedom-loving Ukrainians who were a threat to his rule. Millions of people, the majority of whom were children, died of starvation.
This atrocity, known as the Holodomor genocide, has left deep wounds in our collective memory. We are commemorating its victims at the end of November.
This historical context explains why feeding the world and assisting those facing severe hunger threats is more than just a humanitarian mission for us.
It is a matter of principle and national pride. We are a country that has not only survived a starvation attempt but has also taken on the role of global food security guarantor.
The second International Summit "Grain from Ukraine" will be held in Kyiv on November 25, 2023. Its goal is to strengthen global efforts to combat hunger and food shortages.
The upcoming summit is expected to kick off new joint projects for grain storage, primary processing, and agricultural product transportation to recipient countries.
We are actively working to invite as many international partners as possible to attend the summit and contribute.
We are confident that, by working together, we can address the world's most pressing issues.
And make certain that we alleviate food insecurity caused by Russia's war on Ukraine and attacks on freedom of navigation, ports, and agricultural infrastructure.
Dmytro Kuleba is the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine