Burbok accuses Russia of using hunger as a weapon of war

Germany’s foreign minister, Analena Berbock, on Wednesday accused Russia of blocking grain exports from Ukraine because it uses hunger as a weapon of war.

“Russia is waging this war with another horrific and effective weapon: starvation and deprivation. By blocking Ukrainian ports, destroying warehouses, roads and railways, Russia has launched a war on grain, causing a global crisis,” he said. The German Foreign Minister during a meeting with her counterparts at the United Nations.

“It is doing so at a time when millions of people are already threatened with famine, especially in the Middle East and Africa, because of the devastating effects of the climate crisis, because of the new coronavirus pandemic, because of the raging conflicts in the region.”

According to Ms. Berbok, Russia is blocking the export of some 20 tons of grain from Ukraine, mainly to North African and Asian countries. Much of this quantity is blocked in the port of Odessa.

Ukraine – like Russia – is one of the largest producers of cereals in the world. The two countries together account for almost a third of world wheat and barley production and half of world sunflower oil production.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has stressed the importance of exporting grain, other foodstuffs and fertilizers produced by Ukraine, Russia and Belarus.

Otherwise, the war in Ukraine could plunge millions of people into food insecurity and cause a “crisis that could last for years,” he warned.

The spread of hunger has already reached a world record due to the pandemic of the new coronavirus, according to the UN.

“In just two years, the number of people experiencing acute food insecurity has doubled from 135 million before the pandemic broke out to 276 million today,” Guterres said.

SOURCE: AMPE