Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski argued that a pause in Black Sea hostilities should preserve grain traffic, linking the route’s safety to food access for the Global South.
Reuters reported that Sikorski made the appeal to reporters during a two-day Group of 20 (G20) foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta on Friday, Oct. 30. “The people of the Global South need this grain,” he said.
He argued that any effort to end Russia’s invasion must include Ukraine and involve Europe. Sikorski also said Russia should not resume energy sales to Europe until the war reaches a fair end.
The appeal revisits the question of food access through the Black Sea. The United Nations and Türkiye brokered the Black Sea Grain Initiative in July 2022; nearly 33 million metric tons of Ukrainian grain and other food went to 45 countries under the arrangement, according to the United Nations. Russia declined to renew the deal after July 18, 2023. Sikorski had also backed safe grain passage during a separate G20 dispute, as EconoTimes noted in coverage of Russia’s objection to Poland’s invitation.
Military considerations have also complicated proposals for a maritime truce. In an Oct. 21 interview with The Indian Express, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said both sides see military advantage in Black Sea strikes, making a maritime truce harder to secure. EconoTimes previously covered Rubio’s comments on India’s ceasefire effort.
At the Atlanta meeting, Sikorski also welcomed a U.S. proposal for Poland to become a full G20 member and said he had discussed it with other member countries. The United States holds the group’s rotating presidency this year. Western officials told Reuters approval could take years because Russia opposes the move and G20 decisions require consensus. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called Poland’s invitation counterproductive, Russian news agencies reported. Sikorski said Britain, which is due to lead the G20 next year, had invited Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to the 2027 leaders’ summit in Manchester.
