Explaining: International food security; new sanctions against Russia; Kerch Strait incident

INTERNATIONAL FOOD SECURITY

On November 23, the Third International Summit on Food Security was held in Kyiv under the aegis of the humanitarian program "Grain from Ukraine."

● The humanitarian programme Grain From Ukraine, initiated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in November 2022, is a response to Russia's attempts to turn hunger into a weapon on an international scale by blocking Ukrainian agricultural exports.

● Under this programme, Ukraine has delivered more than 286,000 tonnes of food aid to vulnerable countries, saving 20 million people from hunger.

● In the medium term, Ukraine can double its agricultural exports and provide food for up to 600 million people worldwide.

● Ukraine, which suffered the Holodomor genocide in the 20th century, is now one of the world's largest contributors to food security.

NEW SANCTIONS AGAINST RUSSIA

On November 21, the U.S. Department of the Treasury introduced a new package of sanctions as part of G7 agreements targeting Gazprombank and several other Russian banking and financial institution

● The sanctions are aimed at restricting Russia's use of the international financial system to continue its war again Ukraine.

● Gazprombank, Russia's largest bank, had previously avoided the most severe sanctions and was used to purchase military equipment and make payments to servicemen and their families.

● Following the announcement of the new sanctions package, banks in 20 countries have already stopped servicing Gazprombank cards.

● The sanctions against Gazprombank could deprive European customers of the last way to pay for Russian gas.

● Strengthening the international isolation of the Russian economy is another step towards forcing Moscow to stop its aggression against Ukraine.

THE INCIDENT IN THE KERCH STRAIT

On November 25, 2018, Russia attacked and seized three Ukrainian Navy vessels in the Kerch Strait area, taking 24 sailors captive.

● This incident was the first case of armed aggression again Ukraine in which Russia acted openly under its own state flag.

● In May 2019, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea ordered Russia to immediately release the Ukrainian vessels and sailors, but Moscow only freed the sailors in September.

● The vessels "Berdyansk," "Nikopol," and the tugboat "Yany Kapu" were returned by Russia only a year after their seizure in a completely looted condition.

● This incident showed that Moscow was using the Minsk Agreements not for a genuine peaceful settlement, but to prepare a new round of aggression against Ukraine.

● Kyiv emphasises that a precondition for a fair and stable peace is depriving Russia of the ability to continue its aggression against Ukraine.