Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki at the UN Security
Council meeting on Ukraine.
Thank you, President. I also thank Assistant
Secretary-General Jenča and Mr Hollingsworth for their briefing.
Russia continues its relentless attacks on Ukraine’s ports and
grain infrastructure. It is a deliberate attempt to strangle the
Ukrainian economy, with total disregard for the impact on food.
It follows Russia’s cynical withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain
Initiative, driving up global food prices and risking the lives
of the world’s most vulnerable.
The cost of Russia’s war to global food supplies is staggering.
In just one month, Russia destroyed over 280,000 tonnes of grain
– enough to feed over a million people for a year. Agriculture
production costs have increased, and landmines have reduced the
land available to farm. In front-line oblasts, households
involved in agricultural production have reduced by a quarter.
As well as its attack on food, Russia is repeating its strategy
of attacking critical infrastructure in winter, attempting to
break resolve by depriving the Ukrainian people of electricity,
heat, water and vital medical services. Russia will not succeed.
Ukraine’s resilience and the support of its international
partners will remain strong. The United Kingdom will continue to
work with Ukraine and our partners to ensure Ukraine is able to
export its grain. The ‘Unity Facility’, launched last week
between Marsh McLennan’s UK division and the Ukrainian
Government, will provide affordable shipping insurance for grain
and other critical food supplies globally from Ukraine’s Black
Sea ports. Ships are sailing and Ukraine’s grain is being
exported.
This week, the UK hosted a Global Food Security Summit
galvanising action to tackle the causes of food insecurity and
malnutrition and unlock our diverse resources for a more
resilient, food-secure future. We welcome Ukraine’s summit next
week, which will drive support for the Grain from Ukraine
initiative.
As my Foreign Secretary said in Ukraine last week, Russia thinks
it can wait this war out and that the West will eventually turn
its attention elsewhere. This could not be further from the
truth. The UK and our partners will support Ukraine and its
people for as long as it takes for them to achieve victory and a
just peace.
