I am very grateful to President of Egypt @AlsisiOfficial for his attention to the challenges to food security and the situation in our Black Sea region. I spoke with the President today, and it was a much-needed conversation. Ukraine is one of the largest food suppliers to Egypt and to a significant number of other countries in Africa and the Middle East. These supplies are now under serious threat because of Russia’s war. Unfortunately, two Egyptian citizens have also been killed as a result of these Russian strikes on cargo vessels. I expressed our condolences to the President. There has already been a significant reduction in supplies, and this could have very serious consequences due to rising prices and shortages. Today, we discussed how to counter this and protect lives. Together, we are looking for solutions.

We also discussed energy cooperation and bilateral relations between our countries. We agreed that our teams would work through everything we discussed. And separately, I want to thank the President for his view that diplomacy must succeed in bringing the war to an end. Thank you!