Kyiv promotes the initiative "Grains from Ukraine" in memory of the famine

 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hosted an international summit in Kyiv on Saturday to promote his country's "Grain from Ukraine" initiative, which aims to export grain to countries most at risk of famine and drought.

The Ukrainian leader said the initiative proved that global food security for Kiev "is not just empty words."

The Kremlin says Ukrainian exports through the Black Sea during the war are not reaching countries most at risk of famine and drought.

Zelensky added that Kyiv has collected about $150 million from more than 20 countries and the European Union to export grain to countries such as Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia and Yemen.

"We plan to send at least 60 ships from Ukrainian ports to countries most at risk of famine and drought," he added.

The summit was personally attended by the President of Hungary and the Prime Ministers of Belgium, Poland and Lithuania, while the Presidents of France and Germany and the President of the European Commission delivered speeches via videoconference.

The summit coincides with the Holodomor famine in Ukraine that occurred during the reign of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.

In November 1932 Stalin deployed police forces to confiscate all grain and livestock from Ukrainian farms newly introduced under communism, and millions of Ukrainian farmers starved in the following months.

The initiative, announced by Kyiv this month, adds to a UN-brokered deal that has allowed some Ukrainian grain shipments to pass through the Black Sea, a key export route for major wheat producers that has been closed.

Zelensky, standing next to him the chief of staff of the army and the prime minister, said today, Saturday, that the grain initiative from Ukraine aims to prove that Kyiv matches its words with deeds.

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