Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed holding Russia accountable for atrocities committed in Ukraine since its invasion eight months ago, as well as the war’s impact on global food security, according to her spokesman.
“She committed to continuing to work at the United Nations to strengthen international support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and to urge member states to defend international law and the Charter of the United Nations,” her spokesman Nate Evans said in a statement.
Food security
The United Nations and Turkish-negotiated Black Sea Grain Initiative that helps Ukraine export its grain and assists Russia in removing obstacles to the exports of its food and fertilizer will expire on November 19. It has been critical to helping lower international prices on wheat and other commodities and to get grain and livestock feed that was blockaded by Russia in Ukrainian ports to their destinations. But Moscow has expressed dissatisfaction with its side of the deal, saying it has not benefited enough, opening the door to concerns it may object to the initiative’s renewal.
To highlight the grain deal’s importance, Thomas-Greenfield visited a granary to see how grain is processed.
“We have heard that Ukraine is the breadbasket of the world, and I am here seeing Ukraine as the breadbasket of the world – seeing wheat being delivered, being processed, being produced into flour, hearing directly from farmers that they need this grain deal that the secretary-general has been so committed to negotiating,” she said. “They need this deal to give confidence to the farmers to plant their wheat.”
As of Monday, Ukraine has exported more than 10 million metric tons of grain and other foodstuffs through three of its Black Sea ports. Two-thirds of that has gone to countries in the global south.
War crimes
In Ukraine, Thomas-Greenfield is also meeting with survivors of atrocity crimes and their families. She was briefed during a visit to the National Police Forensics Laboratory in Kyiv on how crime scene technicians collect and analyze evidence of war crimes. She was shown ordinance, weapons, munitions and other items collected by the police in their investigations of Russian crimes on the battlefield.
“I have come away from this experience knowing that this war will only end when those who committed these atrocities are held accountable,” she told reporters, praising the work of investigators.
She added that the only way the war would end is for Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine.
“Russia started this, and Russia can end this, and they can end it by pulling their troops out and stopping committing the atrocities that they are committing against the Ukrainian people,” Thomas-Greenfield said.
Elsewhere, Russia has stepped up its bombardment of critical civilian infrastructure on the eve of winter, knocking out power and water, and damaging homes in many cities and towns across Ukraine.
The U.S. ambassador met with Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov and Deputy Minister Yuriy Vaskov.
In addition, she announced during a visit to a center housing hundreds of displaced persons in the city of Irpin, that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will provide $25 million in winterization assistance for vulnerable Ukrainians.
“With winter fast approaching, we understand the importance of helping Ukraine keep homes warm and the power on,” Thomas-Greenfield said. “Russia’s missile and drone attacks have threatened to leave far too much of Ukraine without power and water. As temperatures plummet, Russia is attempting to turn this dark situation dire. We cannot allow that to happen.”
Ahead of her unannounced visit to Ukraine, the U.S. envoy stopped in Albania, where she spoke with VOA’s Albanian service in the capital, Tirana. Asked what keeps her awake at night, Thomas-Greenfield said it changes, but right now it is Russia’s behavior.
“I would say the key thing that keeps me awake is that we have a permanent member of the Security Council who is really compromising and attacking a neighbor, really jeopardizing peace and security and not honoring the position that they have been a permanent member of the council,” she told VOA.
The ambassador said it undermines international confidence in the Security Council’s ability to deal with the war.
Meanwhile, in the United States, millions are voting Tuesday in state and legislative elections. Some Republican lawmakers and candidates have said they would stop the “blank check” to Ukraine, which has provided more than $27 billion in military and humanitarian support since Russia’s invasion.
A senior U.S. administration official who briefed reporters on the ambassador’s trip said there is strong bipartisan support for the people of Ukraine and that would continue “as long as necessary.”
VOA Albanian Service stringer Armand Mero contributed to this report.
