On Thursday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Russia of using food as a weapon in Ukraine, accusing Russia of holding “hostage” the food supply of millions of Ukrainians as well as millions throughout the world who rely on Ukrainian exports.
Blinken, speaking to the United Nations Security Council, urged Russia to end its blockade of Ukrainian ports. On February 24, Russia invaded Ukraine in what Moscow describes as a “special military operation.”
“The Russian government appears to believe that using food as a weapon will help them achieve what their invasion has failed to do: shatter the Ukrainian people’s spirit,” he said. “The Russian military has literally held the food supply for millions of Ukrainians and millions more throughout the world hostage.”
Global costs for grains, cooking oils, fuel, and fertilizer have risen due to the conflict in Ukraine.
Together, Russia and Ukraine produce about a third of the world’s wheat. Ukraine also exports grain, barley, sunflower oil, and rapeseed oil, while Russia and Belarus, which has backed Moscow in its conflict in Ukraine, account for more than 40% of world potash exports.
Vassily Nebenzia, Russia’s UN Ambassador, said it was “completely incorrect” to blame Russia for a worldwide food crisis that has been developing for years.
He accused Ukraine of detaining foreign ships in its ports and mining the seas, and said that the Russian military had attempted to establish safe passageways for ships on numerous occasions.
Nebenzia blamed Russian food and fertilizer exports on Western sanctions placed on Moscow as a result of the Ukraine conflict. Blinken dismissed Russian allegations that the food situation was exacerbated by sanctions.
“The decision to weaponize food belongs only to Moscow,” Blinken remarked. “As global food supplies drop, prices spike, forcing more people throughout the world to endure food insecurity as a result of the Russian government’s activities, some 20 million tons of grain sit idle in Ukrainian silos.”
Antonio Guterres, the United Nations Secretary-General, is attempting to arrange a “package agreement” that will allow Ukraine to resume food exports across the Black Sea while also reviving Russian food and fertilizer production for global markets.
There is sufficient food for everyone on the planet. The issue is distribution, which is inextricably tied to the conflict in Ukraine,” Guterres told the UN Security Council on Thursday.
