In a ground-breaking moment for Kyiv’s diplomacy, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy held a phone conversation for the first time with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali on Thursday, July 20. During the call, Zelenskiy spoke with Abiy about Russia's recent withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which has already sent wheat prices skyrocketing worldwide, recording a 9% increase on Wednesday, July 19. "The voice of Ethiopia, the African Union, the whole of Africa is very important to us," Zelenskiy reportedly told his Ethiopian counterpart. On July 17, Russia unilaterally withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, launched in July 2022 under the auspices of the UN and Turkey. Russia's latest onslaught caused extensive damage to commercial and civilian infrastructure and destroyed 60,000 tonnes of grain stocked in storage facilities.

Source: Ethiopian News July 23, 2023 09:27 UTC