Russia never intended to solve food crisis - Macron

23.08.2023 19:30

Ukrinform

Following the collapse of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Russia has been attacking the region's core grain export infrastructure, putting global food security at risk. There is no doubt that the Russian Federation never sought to provide a solution to the issue – one of the direct consequences of this war.

French President Emmanuel Macron said this at the third International Summit of the Crimea Platform, speaking via video conference, Ukrinform reports.

"The consequences of Russian aggression in Ukraine are also directly felt by the most vulnerable populations in Ukraine, Europe, and around the world. Since the collapse of the Black Sea Grain Initiative in July, Russia has been striking essential infrastructures for the export of grain in the region, gravely jeopardizing global food security. All those who continued to doubt it now have proof that Russia never wanted to provide a solution to one of the direct consequences of this war," Macron said.

According to him, the EU continues to cooperate with Ukraine so that the export of grain to the countries of the Global South continues.

President Macron underlined that after the illegal occupation of Crimea and Sevastopol, Russia continued its strategy of violence, and for nine years the humanitarian and human rights situation of the Crimean peninsula has been constantly deteriorating, which has been condemned several times at the level of the UN General Assembly, while the outset of a large-scale military invasion on February 24 brought up a new level of aggression against Ukraine and the Ukrainian people.

"France does not recognize either Russia's annexation of Ukrainian territories or the results of the sham elections that were held," Macron emphasized.

Addressing the leadership of the country and Ukrainians, President Macron reiterated the full support on the part of France, the unwavering solidarity of the French people in the face of the violence and destruction that the Ukrainian civilian population experiences every day, when civilian infrastructure objects become the targets of Russian strikes.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the third International Summit of the Crimea Platform is taking place in Kyiv today, dedicated to Ukraine's vision for the future of temporarily occupied Crimea and security issues in the Black Sea region.

Photo: Ukrainian President’s Office