Escalating war in Ukraine war may starve millions
It is Western economic sanctions against Russia that have cut global supply chains and driven the price of wheat up 59% since January. Russia and Ukraine supply 28% of globally traded wheat, 29% of barley, 15% of corn and 75% of sunflower oil that helps feed over 400 million people. Russia supplies 30% of the world’s fertilizer, which is no longer available because of sanctions.
Since the fighting began, the Ukraine government has no revenue coming in, their cash reserves are exhausted and the U.S. now pays the salaries of the Ukrainian civil service and military. EU president Ursula von der Leyen has promised Kyiv a huge re-construction loan package worth billions.
Ukraine normally exports five million tons of wheat per month, but only 1.1 million tons has left the country since the Feb. 24 invasion. Storage capacity is limited and grain silos are already full because of the blocked harbours.
Some Ukrainian wheat sits in ships, stuck in port at Odesa. The Ukrainians released mines into harbour around Odesa to keep the Russian fleet out. Internationally registered ships stuck in Odesa refuse to leave because it is unsafe. Ukrainians blame Russians, but will not de-mine the harbour, for fear the Russia fleet will enter Odesa.
So many mines were released by the Ukraine military that Turkey and Bulgaria complained to the UN that Ukrainian mines floated into their neighbouring territorial waters and endangered shipping.
African leaders met with Russian
President Vladimir Putin to secure the release of Russian grain to the sub-Saharan region. Working with the UN, Russia is demining a safe marine corridor to allow grain shipments out of Mariupol, but work is slow.
In response to Russian efforts, the Ukraine agriculture minister told Canada’s House of Commons agriculture committee that he accuses Russia of stealing Ukrainian grain and mixing it with Russia grain covertly on the international market.
UN secretary general Antonio Guterres said “global food shortages may be with us for years. We will see famine, destabilization and mass migration.” The war in Ukraine is pushing hunger and severe malnutrition to emergency levels. Numbers have doubled in the last two years. More than 500 million are experiencing life and death famine conditions.
Sadly, the priorities of Western leadership are perverted. The vaulted reasons about freedom and democracy given for escalating war, death and destruction in Ukraine ring hollow, when we realize hundreds of millions of people around the world will starve because of our actions. Shame on us.