“Russia occupied Ukraine [daļā] The Kremlin ‘s army is confiscating grain stocks and machinery, “Leiena said at a World Economic Forum in Davos.
“For some, it recalls a dark past – a time when the Soviet Union confiscated grain and the devastating famine of the 1930s,” Leiena said of a famine that claimed millions of lives in Ukraine.
According to information available to the German government, Russia is blocking 20 million tonnes of grain exports from Ukraine, mainly to North Africa and Asia.
According to the World Food Program, 276 million people went hungry in the world in early 2022. If the war in Ukraine continues, this figure could rise by another 47 million.
Leiena said that Russia was acting ashamed by bombing grain storage facilities and blocking the export of agricultural goods, which had led to a sharp rise in wheat prices.
“Russia is currently suspending its food exports, using it as blackmail – suspending supplies to raise global prices or exchanging wheat for political support,” Leiena said, adding that hunger and grain were being used to show power.
Leiena called on the international community to respond, stressing that “global cooperation is an antidote to Russian blackmail.”
The EC is also supporting Africa to become less dependent on food imports, Leiena said.
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