British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called on Western leaders to take urgent action to break the Russian blockade and help Ukraine ship its grain exports out of the country.
Ukraine, traditionally known as the “breadbasket of Europe,” used to supply 10 percent of the world’s wheat, 12–17 percent of the world’s maize, and half of the world’s sunflower oil. But the Russian invasion and its blockade of major Ukrainian ports such as Odesa have prevented Ukrainian food from reaching the global market.
According to the UK government, 25 million tonnes of corn and wheat—the entire annual consumption of all the least developed countries—cannot be exported and is currently at risk of rotting in Ukrainian silos, putting 47 million people around the world on the brink of humanitarian disaster….