RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Food products and fertilizers from Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus must be allowed on the world markets if the global community wants to stem an unfolding food crisis, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said at a ministerial meeting on global food security on Wednesday.
“Let’s be clear, there is no more effective solution to the food crisis without the reintegration of Ukrainian food production, as well as food and fertilizer produced by Russia and Belarus, into world markets,” he stressed.
Earlier this month, Guterres warned that a fifth of humanity was at risk of poverty and hunger due to the current situation in the grain market, with wheat prices soaring following Western sanctions imposed on Russia and Belarus.
Russian President Vladimir Putin recently stated that the threat of a global famine is the result of the West’s “sanctions obsession.”
According to Guterres, instead of being the sole reason behind the current food crisis, Russia’s military operation has added to the problems that were already affecting the situation, namely climate change, and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, he stressed, are leaders in the production of fertilizers and food products, which should not be overlooked.
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