Chancellor Helmut Kohl said Thursday that Germany is ready to send the Soviets emergency supplies in case of a food crisis, and a newspaper said Washington is drawing up plans to provide food and medical aid.
There is concern that the Soviet Union could face serious shortages of food and other essentials this winter, causing extreme hardship and possibly provoking civil unrest.Kohl, in a speech to Parliament, said Eastern European nations also could face severe problems this winter and that he would like wealthy industrial states to be ready to help.
Kohl said Germany already has promised massive aid to the Soviets - about $19.5 billion so far.