Blinken announces $215 million in emergency food assistance for Ukraine

On May 18th, the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the U.S. would provide an additional $215 million in emergency food assistance to help Ukraine battle the humanitarian crisis caused by Russia’s invasion.

Blinken also said the U.S. would commit $500 million to boost U.S. production of fertilizer in response to the price rise of Russian and Belarusian exports of fertilizer resulting from the Russia-Ukraine war.

Blinken said the war in Ukraine has contributed to global food shortage and called on countries with significant grain and fertilizer reserves to quickly pitch in and take actions to alleviate the effects of the global food crisis. At the same time, the U.S. made it clear it intended to provide long-term support and assistance to Ukraine.