Food security: Statement by the High Representative on the extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative

F.P. Report

BRUSSELS: The EU warmly welcomes the renewal of the UN Black Sea Grain initiative. It remains vital to continue to drive global food prices down and ensuring food security worldwide, especially in the most vulnerable countries. The EU underlines the efforts of the United Nations and Türkiye to facilitate the continuation of the initiative.

The UN-brokered agreement has, together with land routes through the EU under our “Solidarity Lanes” initiative, helped stabilise and ease pressure on global food prices by facilitating the export of grain and agricultural products to global markets. Both initiatives have enabled the export of more than 25 million tons of grain and other agricultural products and have contributed to a drop in food price over the last months.

Food should never be used as a weapon of war. It is Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its deliberate targeting of Ukrainian agricultural facilities and export routes which exacerbated the food price spike. While Russia is engaging in campaigns to manipulate information and spread propaganda, we have always been clear that our sanctions do not target the trade in agricultural and food products, including grain and fertiliser, between Russia and third countries.