UNITED NATIONS: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken took aim at Russia at the UN Security Council on Thursday, accusing Moscow of “blackmail” over its recent withdrawal from a key grain initiative.America’s top diplomat, chairing a meeting about food insecurity at the UN’s headquarters in New York, told the 15-member Council that “hunger must not be weaponised.”

He singled out Russia, saying its invasion of Ukraine last year had sparked an “assault” on the global food system. Blinken lambasted Moscow for pulling out last month from the so-called Black Sea grain initiative.

The agreement had allowed Ukrainian grain exports via the sea, during the conflict between the two countries. “Every member of this council, every member of the United Nations should tell Moscow enough, enough using the Black Sea as blackmail,” said Blinken.

“Enough treating the world’s most vulnerable people as leverage. Enough of this unjustified unconscionable war,” he added. Blinken said grain prices had increased by more than eight per cent around the world. Blinken also announced $362 million in new funding for programmes to combat food insecurity and malnutrition in a dozen African countries and Haiti, a US official said. Some 345 million people in 79 countries suffer from acute food insecurity.

India to attend Saudi talks on Ukraine

Saudi talks

India will participate in Ukraine peace talks to be hosted by Saudi Arabia on Aug 5 and 6, a foreign ministry spokesperson said during a news briefing.

Saudi Arabia has invited Western nations, Ukraine and some major developing countries to discuss the peace plan proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy earlier this year. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius on Thursday again ruled out supplying Ukraine with long-range Taurus missiles, saying it was “not a top priority” right now.

Ukraine asked Germany in late May to provide it with Taurus air-to-surface cruise missiles which have a range in excess of 500 kilometres, but the government has so far rebuffed the request.

Published in Dawn, August 4th, 2023