VLADIVOSTOK, September 7. /TASS/. Almost all grain delivered from Ukraine is gone to EU countries, not the poorest nations, to which only two vessels out of 87 have been sent, President Vladimir Putin said at a plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) on Wednesday.
"Excluding Turkey as a mediating country, almost all grain supplied from Ukraine has been sent not to developing and poorest countries, but to the European Union countries," he said.
"Only two vessels were loaded under the UN’s global food program, which particularly implies the assistance to those countries most in need. I should note: only two out of 87. They carried 60,000 tonnes of food from 2 mln tonnes, which means only 3% sent to developing countries," Putin added.
The president believes the volume of food to be supplied from Ukraine to developing countries should have been defined as the grain deal was concluded. "Unfortunately, those documents do not mention the volume of food, including that supplied from Ukraine, to be delivered to developing countries," he said, noting that the grain deal was concluded "under the pretext of ensuring the interests of poorest countries to prevent famine there."
Organized by the Roscongress Foundation, the Seventh Eastern Economic Forum is running from September 5 to September 8 in Vladivostok. TASS is the event’s general information partner and its official photohost agency. This year, the theme of the forum is: "On the Path to a Multipolar World."