Source: Ukrinform
Wadephul said Wednesday at the opening of the conference in Berlin, according to the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform: “In Ukraine, a third of the harvest is at risk of spoiling. At the same time, the world depends on these exports.” Grain exports are stuck because of targeted Russian strikes on Ukrainian ports.
The minister warned that a delay in deliveries could hit especially unstable regions. If the shipments do not get moving soon, hunger looms — particularly in regions that are already unstable, which could trigger new waves of displacement. Wadephul called this another form of destabilization that Russia is driving forward with its “reckless expansionist aggression.”
Wadephul said he also raised the Russian attacks during a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in New York. He made clear that Germany would not accept these attacks and would defend itself against any threat to its own security. Russian aggression does not end at Ukraine’s border, and Germany too faces Russian threats, he said.
The 8th German-Ukrainian Conference of Municipal Partnerships runs from October 7 to 9 in Berlin. It brings together representatives of Ukrainian and German municipalities. Topics include the resilience of communities in wartime, practical support for Ukrainian municipalities, reconstruction, energy independence, civil protection, economic development, digitalization, and Ukraine’s preparations for EU accession.
