US Ready To Offer $1Bln In Humanitarian Aid To Nations Hit By Ukraine Crisis - Envoy To UN

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th May, 2022) The United States is prepared to allocate $1 billion in humanitarian aid for nations affected by the Ukraine conflict, Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said on Monday.

"We are prepared to provide more than $1 billion in due funding toward humanitarian assistance for those countries that have been affected by Russia's unprovoked war against Ukraine and the severe impact around the world over the coming months," Thomas-Greenfield told a briefing. "We are working with our Congress to invest over $11 billion over the next three years to invest in food insecurity issues."

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Russia and Ukraine were among the top global exporters of various types of staple foods, including wheat and corn, in 2021, while Russia was also the leading exporter of nitrogen fertilizers, the second major supplier of potassium fertilizers and the third largest supplier of phosphorous fertilizers.

Western sanctions on Russia have undermined the latter's sales of agricultural products abroad and prompted Moscow to retaliate by freezing fertilizer exports. As a result, the global food prices hit the highest ever levels in March, while the International Monetary Fund warned in April that global food prices will likely rise further in the future due to the conflict in Ukraine, sanctions against Russia and Belarus, as well as climate issues.