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. Russia's illicit blockage of shipping routes and its ongoing assault on Ukraine's vital port and energy facilities were also on the agenda.

Notably, Zelenskiy highlighted Ukraine's contributions to Ethiopia under the Black Sea Grain Initiative over the past year, disclosing that nearly 300,000 tonnes of food had been sent to the country, along with an additional 90,000 tonnes of grain as part of the unilateral “Grain from Ukraine” humanitarian effort.

Emphasising Kyiv’s commitment to global food security, President Zelenskiy expressed keen interest in bolstering bilateral ties with Ethiopia, particularly in domains such as security and digitalisation. Ukraine has been stepping up its diplomatic efforts in recent months in a bid to woo African countries and counterbalance Russia’s long-standing influence on the continent.

"The voice of Ethiopia, the African Union, the whole of Africa is very important to us," Zelenskiy reportedly told his Ethiopian counterpart.

"Today, about 20mn people in Ethiopia are on the verge of famine. This is one of the most critical situations in the world,” he added.

On July 17, Russia unilaterally withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, launched in July 2022 under the auspices of the UN and Turkey. The landmark deal, aimed at preventing a famine crisis in many African and Middle Eastern countries, allowed the safe passage of cargo ships carrying Ukrainian grain and relaxed rules for exporting Russian fertiliser, with Turkey acting as a guarantor.

Moscow had long been threatening to pull out of the deal, voicing its complaints about the alleged inability to export fertiliser, further hindered by the blacklisting of the Russian Agricultural Bank from the SWIFT system, as per international financial sanctions imposed last year.

The Kremlin immediately followed through on its threats on Tuesday, July 18 by declaring any ship heading towards Ukrainian ports a “legitimate target” and ramping up missile attacks on the southern Ukrainian cities of Odesa and Chornomorsk. Russia's latest onslaught caused extensive damage to commercial and civilian infrastructure and destroyed 60,000 tonnes of grain stocked in storage facilities.