British people have been warned food prices could rise even higher after Vladimir Putin choked off grain exports from Ukraine.
Yesterday, Russia announced it would pull out of a UN-brokered grain deal, which was meant to ease a global food crisis.
Putin effectively cut shipments from Ukraine, which is one of the world's top grain exporters, in response to what it called a major drone attack on its fleet near the port of Sevastopol in Russian-annexed Crimea.
Following the announcement, the European Union has called on Russia to reverse its decision.
A Whitehall source claimed that officials will want to reassure Brits that the food supply is secure, but Putin's actions "will have an impact".
The insider told the Telegraph : "Ukraine is one of the largest exporters of wheat and grain in the world.
"If you restrict the export of that good, the price of that good increases, and that is felt across the entire world."
David Laborde, a senior research fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute, said the price of wheat could rise by 10 per cent when markets open on monday.
He warned: "Food is already expensive and this is going to make it more expensive."
US President Joe Biden called Putin's move "purely outrageous", saying it would increase starvation, while Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Moscow of weaponising food.
Russia's ambassador to Washington claimed the US made false assertions about Moscow's move.
The country's defence ministry said Ukraine attacked the Black Sea Fleet near Sevastopol with 16 drones early on Saturday, and that British navy "specialists" had helped coordinate what it called a terrorist attack.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Moscow used the explosions 220 kilometres (137 miles) away from the grain corridor as a "false pretext" for a long-intended move.
"Russia has planned this well in advance," Kuleba said on Twitter. "Russia took the decision to resume its hunger games long ago and now tries to justify it," he said, without offering any evidence.
President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff accused Russia of inventing attacks on its own facilities.
