Millions of people could starve because of Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea ports, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday.

Zelenskiy said in a televised statement that the world was on the brink of a “terrible food crisis”, with Ukraine unable to export large quantities of wheat, corn, oil and other products which had played a “stabilizing role on the world market”. “This means that, unfortunately, there could be a physical shortage of products in dozens of countries around the world. Millions of people could starve if the Russian blockade of the Black Sea continues,” he said. he declares.

Russia has seized large parts of Ukraine’s coast in nearly 15 weeks of warfare and its warships control the Black and Azov Seas, blocking Ukraine’s agricultural exports and driving up the cost of grain. Ukraine and the West accuse Moscow of militarizing food supplies. Russia says Ukrainian mines laid at sea and international sanctions against Moscow are to blame.

Blaming Russia for the blockade, Zelenskiy said that “while we look for ways to protect freedom, another person is destroying it. Another person continues to make the world sing with hunger.” Ukraine exported up to 6 million tonnes of grain a month before Russia launched its invasion on February 24. Moscow describes its action as a special military operation. Volumes have since fallen to around 1 million tonnes as Ukraine, which exported most of its goods through seaports, has been forced to transport grain by rail through its western border or through its smaller Danube river ports.

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