As a result of Russia's abrupt decision to withdraw from a grain export agreement with Ukraine, there are now concerns about a possible world food catastrophe.
The suspension was announced on Saturday by the Russian Defense Ministry, alleging a claimed drone attack by the Ukraine off the coast of occupied Crimea on Russia's Black Sea Fleet. Ukraine rejected the assault and blamed Russia for using its own weapons improperly.
In his weekly video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed that Russia was "blackmailing the globe with famine."
Josep Borrell Fontelles, the head of foreign strategy for the European Union, urged Russia to reconsider its action. He tweeted on Sunday, "The EU asks Russia to reverse its decision."
The move was labelled "outrageous" by President Joe Biden on Saturday, and he expressed worry that there would be a rise in world hunger. "The actions they are taking have no merit. That agreement was negotiated by the U.N., and that ought to be the end of it, he added.
A humanitarian relief agency called the International Rescue Committee predicts that 345 million people will experience severe food insecurity this year.
Russia was charged of "again weaponizing food in the war it began, directly harming low- and middle-income nations and global food prices and increasing existing severe humanitarian problems and food poverty," according to Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
A ship carrying 40,000 tonnes of grains destined for Ethiopia was unable to depart Ukraine on Sunday, according to Oleksandr Kubrakov, Ukraine's minister of infrastructure.
After much haggling and the signing of the agreement in July, more than 9 million tonnes of grain in 397 ships have successfully departed Ukrainian ports, ending the Russian blockade in the Black Sea that had kept Ukrainian cargo ships detained. According to the United Nations, the pact, which is up for renewal on November 19, has brought down global food costs, which have decreased by nearly 15% from their peak in March. The pact is being revived by Turkey and the U.N., who mediated it.
