Statement

by H.E. Ambassador Andriy Melnyk, LL.M.,

Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations,

at the UN Security Council High-Level Open Debate

“Food Under Fire: The Security Council’s Role in Mitigating Global and Local Food Crises”

 (25 August 2026)

Mr. President,
Distinguished members of the Council,

I thank the Danish Presidency for convening this important and timely debate on “food under fire”, a matter that is directly linked to international peace and security.

My delegation is also grateful to the briefers for their compelling appeals.

Before proceeding with my statement, I cannot let pass without response the deeply misleading and preposterous claims and accusations we have all just heard from the Russian representative this morning.

As William Shakespeare would elegantly put it, the lady doth protest too much, methinks. Ordinary people, however, would simply say, the guilty dog barks the loudest.

Allow me to set the record straight and put the facts into their proper perspective.

Let me remind this Council that it was Russia that unleashed a full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022 and imposed an unlawful naval blockade of Ukraine’s ports.

Let me also recall that it is Ukraine that has been and remains one of the biggest producers of grain, providing food for almost half a billion people worldwide.

Around 90 percent of our agricultural produce used to be exported through our Black Sea ports, amounting to tens of millions of tons of grain and feeding markets in the Global South.

Hence, it was precisely these reckless criminal acts by Russia’s navy in the Black Sea that placed global food security in jeopardy and pushed many countries around the globe to the brink of famine.

Mr. President,

Allow me also to remind this Council that, thanks to the diplomatic efforts of the UN Secretary-General and our partners, we were able to launch the Black Sea Grain Initiative in the summer of 2022 and restore commercial shipping.

And yet, in July 2023, it was Russia again that unilaterally walked away from this vital initiative, destabilizing international food supplies for the most vulnerable countries in the Global South.

Let me draw the Council’s attention to the fact that Russia has systematically attacked Ukraine’s agricultural and port infrastructure, grain terminals and storage facilities, and maritime routes.

Russia’s navy has mined sea lanes and repeatedly attacked civilian vessels to undermine Ukraine’s export capacity.

Over the past four and a half years, Russia has destroyed over a thousand port infrastructure facilities and attacked 232 civilian vessels sailing to or from Ukraine’s ports.

As a result, since July 2026, Russia has once again brought freedom of navigation in the Black Sea to a standstill, through its massive and deliberate attacks, which are nothing short of deplorable war crimes.

There is no justification for such criminal actions by the Russian Federation.

We therefore call upon the Security Council and all Member States of the United Nations to respond with strong political pressure and economic sanctions, aimed at stopping Russia’s terror and protecting millions of consumers across the planet.

Mr. President,

Despite this truly critical situation in the Black Sea for global food security, a déjà vu of the spring of 2022, Ukraine has nonetheless taken a new diplomatic initiative and put concrete proposals to the Russian side.

Sadly, Moscow has so far rejected this constructive offer, just as it has rejected Ukraine’s outstretched hand in pursuit of an immediate, unconditional and comprehensive ceasefire.

But Ukraine’s diplomacy will not relent. And we urge this Council and the Secretary-General to take every possible step to restore freedom of navigation in the Black Sea.

Distinguished members of the Council,

I want you all to understand the true price of each grain of wheat harvested by Ukrainian farmers under Russian fire while at this very moment, as we speak, Russian killer drones are intentionally targeting the very combine harvesters working in the fields.

Besides, Russia is also systematically stealing on a massive scale our grain from the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine.

Last year alone, more than 2 million tons of Ukrainian grain, worth 400 million US dollars, were illegally expropriated and subsequently exported to foreign markets, including through a so-called “shadow grain fleet”.

Stolen Ukrainian agricultural products must be seized, not legitimized. We call on international organizations and all UN member states to address this burning issue.

Complicity in this illicit trade only sustains aggression.

Mr. President,

Irrespective of all the challenges, Ukraine continues to contribute to global food security.

In 2022, we launched the humanitarian initiative “Grain from Ukraine”. With the assistance of our partners, more than 330,000 tonnes of Ukrainian food have already reached 20 countries in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America facing acute food crises.

In this respect, our cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Programme is of strategic importance, helping to ensure that our food reaches those who need it most and to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable countries.

Mr. President,

Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine demonstrates that when food, agricultural production and trade routes are deliberately attacked, the consequences do not remain local; they threaten international peace and security.

Resolution 2417 (2018) provides an important framework for action.

What is needed most now is the political will to use it effectively, through early warning, prevention, accountability and concrete actions to protect food systems and supply chains.

The only way to ensure the long-term security and uninterrupted operation of Black Sea shipping lanes is to put an end to Russia’s war of aggression and establish a comprehensive, just and lasting peace for Ukraine.

This must be accompanied by effective mechanisms to ensure that any future violations are met with a resolute response and that significant costs are imposed on the perpetrator.

In the absence of such a mechanism, to ensure maritime security in the Black Sea and given the need to protect against Russia’s unlawful attacks, Ukraine will continue to exercise its inherent right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter

In this regard, Ukraine will use all available means in accordance with international humanitarian law to counter Russia’s massive violations of the freedom of navigation and to protect civilians, as well as maritime routes and port infrastructure, that are critical to global food security.

Ukraine stands ready to work with all partners to ensure that food remains a means of sustaining life, stability and peace and shall never be weaponized.

I thank you for your attention.