The agreement between Russia and Ukraine to allow the passage of ships carrying food grains in the middle of the crisis was lauded by leaders all around the world. Pope Francis also joined in praising the departure of the ships from the Black Sea ports and said that it can be a “breakthrough” for dialogue that can eventually result in a long-term resolution. The pope has tried to bring the two countries on the discussion table, but no resolution seems likely at present for the ongoing invasion.
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“This step shows that it is possible to conduct dialogue to reach concrete results, which help everyone,” Pope Francis said at his weekly address in St. Peter’s Square, according to Reuters.
“This event presents itself as a sign of hope and my own heartfelt wish is that following this path, it will be possible to bring an end to the fighting and reach a just and lasting peace,” he said.
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The Russian invasion of Ukraine caused a major food shortage all around the world and the renewed supply of food grains is extremely important for the global economy. Razoni – the first ship to leave Ukraine under the new United Nations-brokered deal – reached Turkey as per agreement.
The agreement was signed by both Russia and Ukraine under the observation of a Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) in Istanbul after concerns regarding worldwide famine. The Pope had earlier criticised the food crisis due to the conflict and even asked countries to not use food as a “weapon”.
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