The European Union has condemned Russia’s withdrawal from the international grain agreement. “With this decision, Russia is exacerbating the global food security crisis caused by its war of aggression against Ukraine and its blockade of Ukrainian seaports,” Foreign Affairs Representative Josep Borrell said.
Borrell said Russia should lift the illegal blockade of Ukrainian ports and allow free shipping on the Black Sea.
Agreement expired Monday evening
The Kremlin on Monday suspended a long-standing agreement on the export of Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea. It officially ended Monday night. Since last summer, the agreement has enabled Ukraine to sell more than 30 million tons of grain by sea to other countries, despite Russia’s war of aggression.
Even during the war, Ukraine reportedly remained the largest wheat supplier to the World Food Program (WFP) in 2022, supplying more than half of the WFP’s global wheat purchases.
EU calls for reconsideration
“The EU urges Russia to reconsider its decision and to resume implementation of the Black Sea Grains Initiative without delay,” Borrell said. By ending the agreements, Russia is single-handedly blocking one of Ukraine’s main grain export routes for human consumption. Moscow alone is responsible for disrupting the global grain supply and raising food prices around the world. “Russia continues to use food as a weapon.”
Source: Krone
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