Senior U.S. officials revealed that more than 75 countries "will commit to taking action to end the use of food as a weapon in war and the starvation of civilians as a war tactic," backed by a statement crafted by the United States at the United Nations on Thursday. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to issue the statement today when he chairs a UN Security Council meeting regarding famine and food security resulting from conflict. A senior U.S. official indicated that more countries are expected to sign the statement.
According to another senior U.S. official, Blinken will announce the allocation of approximately $362 million in new U.S. funding to "address the drivers of food insecurity and strengthen resilience" in about 12 African countries and Haiti. While the United States, the European Union, and others accuse Russia of using food as a weapon in the war by exacerbating the global food crisis when it invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the draft statement did not mention any country by name.
Last month, Russia withdrew from an agreement that allowed the safe export of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea over the past year, a deal mediated by the United Nations and Turkey to help alleviate the global food crisis that followed Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine and Russia are among the world's largest grain exporters. After its withdrawal from the agreement, Moscow began targeting Ukrainian ports and grain infrastructure in the Black Sea and the Danube River, leading to rising grain prices worldwide. Moscow claims that it will consider returning to the grain deal if its demands for facilitating the export of its grains and fertilizers are met.
