Farmers harvest a wheat field near the village Tbilisskaya in Russia. Ukraine and Russia account for a third of global wheat and barley exports
(Picture: AP)Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine will unleash “famines” in other countries as they are so dependent on its food exports, Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Tuesday.
The Ukrainian president sounded the alarm over the threat of looming food shortages in other nations on several continents when speaking to the Italian Parliament.
In Britain, Downing Street said the Government was taking “all necessary mitigating steps” to avoid food shortages caused by the war.
Farming chiefs have called for a meeting of Whitehall’s emergency COBRA committee to discuss the situation.
Some 30 per cent of the world’s wheat comes from Ukraine and Russia, and they produce 80 per cent of the world’s sunflower oil exports and 20 per cent of corn exports, according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation.
Mr Zelensky told Italian MPs: “For Russian troops, Ukraine is the gates of Europe, where they want to break in, but barbarism must not be allowed to pass,” adding that the consequences of the war were already being felt in many parts of the world.
“The most terrible thing will be the famine that is approaching for some countries. Ukraine has always been one of the largest food exporters, but how can we sow (crops) under the strikes of Russian artillery?”
Countries such as Lebanon, Egypt, Yemen and others have come to rely on Ukrainian wheat in recent years and the war has caused wheat prices to skyrocket - rising by 50 per cent in the last month.
Asked about the food shortages threat, No10 said: “We are obviously aware of the importance of Ukraine in farming and production of things like wheat.
“It’s something that the Government has been alive to and Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) and other departments are working to mitigate any of the challenges that we see.”
The Prime Minister’s official spokeman added: “We do have obviously a diverse food supply in this country and that was seen at the height of the pandemic.
“The public can be reassured that we are taking all necessary mitigating steps.”
Replying to Mr Zelensky, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said that Ukraine had offered “heroic” resistance to the Russian invasion and promised continued support for refugees fleeing the fighting, as well as military aid.
“The arrogance of the Russian government has collided with the dignity of the Ukrainian people, who have managed to curb Moscow’s expansionist aims and impose a huge cost on the invading army,” Mr Draghi told parliament.
Signalling its desire to strengthen ties with the West, Ukraine has long said it wants to join the European Union.
Mr Draghi told Italian MPs that this was a lengthy process because of the many reforms needed to integrate fully with the 27-nation bloc.
“I want to say to President Zelensky that Italy is at Ukraine’s side in this process. Italy wants Ukraine in the European Union,” he added.
Mr Putin calls the war, the biggest attack on a European state since World War Two, a “special military operation” to disarm Ukraine, and reduce the threat from Nato.
However, the West has dismissed his claims and imposed unprecedented sanctions for the invasion which has led to the deaths of thousands of Russian soldiers, civilians, as well as many Ukrainian troops.
