LONDON, June 27. /TASS/. The UK government will contribute up to £10 million ($12.3 million) to Ukraine to repair its rail infrastructure in order to ensure the export of grain from the country, the British prime minister’s office said in a statement on Sunday.
The United Kingdom and its allies are set to prevent Russia from influencing global food prices, the office of Boris Johnson said in a statement.
"The UK is working with partners on a plan to overcome the Russian stranglehold and will work with Ukraine to repair vital railways," 10 Downing Street said in a statement, adding that 47 million people across the globe are on the brink of humanitarian disaster and famine and that the problem is due to worsen dramatically with July’s harvest.
At the G7 summit on Monday, the British prime minister will call on world leaders to take urgent action.
"Global leaders need to come together and apply their combined economic and political heft to help Ukraine and make life easier for households across the world. Nothing should be off the table," Johnson will tell G7 leaders.
The UK will also put 1.5 million British pounds ($1.85 million) to develop a testing process to identify whether grain sold by Russia on the global market has been illegally taken from Ukraine, the British PM’s office said. Johnson will on Monday ask his colleagues in the G7 to support the effort.
President Vladimir Putin reiterated earlier that Moscow was ready to guarantee a safe passage of vessels with Ukrainian grain, provided Kiev clears its ports of mines. Russia could also ensure the export of grain from Berdyansk, Mariupol and other sea ports it controls, the Russian leader added, saying Ukraine could also export its grain by land, with Belarus being the most convenient route.