WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), ranking member and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, along with U.S. Representatives Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), chairman and ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued the following statement on Russia’s refusal to extend the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which expires this Monday, July 17.
“We condemn Russia’s refusal to extend the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which expires this Monday. This initiative has already facilitated over 950 safe voyages, transporting over 30 million tons of grain, fertilizer, and food items from Ukrainian ports to more than 40 countries. Russian intransigence puts this success at risk and exposes Moscow’s willingness to use food as a weapon of war, leading to increases in the risk of famine, human suffering, and global food prices.”
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