Ukraine Ships Its First Food Aid To Syria Under “Grain From Ukraine” Program

Ukraine has sent 500 metric tons of wheat flour to Syria under its “Grain from Ukraine” program.

The shipment, carried out in cooperation with the United Nations World Food Programme, marks Ukraine’s first food aid to the Middle Eastern nation.

The wheat flour, packaged in 15-kilogram bags, will support 33,250 families-equal to 167,000 individuals for one month.

Ukrainian officials have said that each package can feed a family of five for four weeks. The aid will be distributed in the coming weeks.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy shared the announcement on his X (formerly Twitter) handle, expressing solidarity with the Syrian people.

He showed his commitment to people in need and wished for safety, stability and recovery in Syria.

As promised, we are supporting the Syrian people in their time of need.

500 tonnes of Ukrainian wheat flour are already on their way to Syria as part of our “Grain From Ukraine” humanitarian program in cooperation with the WFP.

The wheat flour is planned to be distributed to…

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 27, 2024

Ukraine wants to strengthen its ties with Syria after the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s Russian-backed regime and the partial withdrawal of Russian troops.

Earlier this week, President Zelenskiy instructed the Foreign Ministry to deepen diplomatic engagement with Damascus.

Syria, a country heavily dependent on wheat imports, is estimated to need 1.6 million tons this season, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Traditionally, Syria sourced food supplies from Russia, but recent disruptions in Russian wheat shipments have created a supply gap.

Ukraine, a major global producer and exporter of grains has faced challenges with exports due to the ongoing war with Russia.

Despite this, the country has revived shipments through its southern port of Odesa, overcoming a de facto sea blockade.

A de facto sea blockade is when a country prevents other ships from entering or leaving an enemy’s ports, even if they haven’t officially declared a blockade. This is usually done by deploying their own ships near the enemy’s ports to stop or inspect vessels.

The “Grain from Ukraine” initiative is a humanitarian food program launched by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in November 2022.

It aims to combat the global food crisis worsened by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which greatly disrupted Ukrainian grain exports, a major source for many countries worldwide.

The initiative focuses on delivering Ukrainian food to countries in Africa and Asia facing food shortages and hunger.

Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain initiative and its continued attack on Ukrainian infrastructure pose a major challenge to the effective implementation of the “Grain from Ukraine” program.

Reference: Bloomberg, Reuters