Chancellor Scholz also said a German-sponsored World Food Program ship was on its way to bring Ukrainian grain to Ethiopia.
His video message was published on the occasion of the new initiative “Grain from Ukraine”. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy invited the Chancellor to the opening ceremony of the initiative on Saturday in Kyiv, a German government spokeswoman said. The topic is global food security. The aim of the initiative is to get Ukrainian grain donations through the Black Sea Corridor to developing countries.
The launch of the new initiative comes on the day Ukraine commemorates the famine in the country caused by the Soviet leadership 90 years ago. She is referred to as the Holodomor. The Ukrainian term means killing through hunger and refers to the years 1932 and 1933. At that time, the Soviet ruler Joseph Stalin had triggered a great famine by forced collectivization of agriculture, from which several million people died in Ukraine.
Several European prime ministers came to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Saturday, including Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, as he announced on Twitter. According to the Ukrainian border guard, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki also visited Kyiv and commemorated the victims of the Holodomor.
The Ukrainians “went through a terrible thing,” said Zelenskyj in a video published on online networks on Saturday. He referred to the destruction of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure by Russian attacks: “Once they wanted to destroy us with hunger, now – with darkness and cold.” He added: “We cannot be broken.”
In his video message to commemorate the Holodomor, Scholz said that hunger should never again be used as a weapon. Therefore, the current food crisis, which according to Scholz is the worst in years, should not be accepted. Millions of people are affected.
Russia has exacerbated the situation with the attack on agriculture in Ukraine and the month-long blockade of Black Sea ports, said the Chancellor. Russia’s “cynical” warfare is unacceptable.
Scholz also said Germany welcomes the United Nations’ successful efforts to expand the Grains Agreement. The world is watching very closely whether Russia is fulfilling its obligations.
The Grains Agreement between Ukraine and Russia, signed in July, aims to allow Ukrainian grain to be safely exported through a protective corridor in the Black Sea and Russian food and fertilizers to be exported despite the war. Ukraine is one of the largest grain producers in the world.
Meanwhile, after massive Russian attacks on energy infrastructure, six million homes in Ukraine remained without power. The power outages continued in most regions, Zelenskyy said.
According to the state electricity supplier Ukrenergo, the power grid was still 30 percent down on Friday. The technicians would work “around the clock” to fully restore it, it said. The company expected a better supply for the weekend.
