Head of European Commission: Russia uses hunger and grain for sake of power

“In the regions of Ukraine captured by Russia, the army confiscates grain and agricultural equipment. This in a sense recalls the gloomy past – the times of Soviet collectivization and catastrophic hunger of the 1930s.” This was stated by the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen at the World Economic Forum in Davos, DW reports.

According to her, Moscow uses as a weapon not only energy supply, the situation with food security looks similarly.

“Russia deliberately bombing the granaries in Ukraine and blocks Ukrainian vessels with wheat and sunflower seeds in the Black Sea. In addition, Russia accumulates its own food supplies as” one of the forms of blackmail. “Moscow also stopped delivering to achieve the growth of world prices, it It sells wheat for the sake of geopolitical support. There is only one thought behind this: Russia uses hunger and grain for the sake of the authorities, ”said von der Lyain.

According to the head of the European Commission, this leads to the rapid growth of world prices for wheat.

“We have more than others, weak countries and unprotected groups of the population were affected: so, prices for bread in Lebanon increased by 70 percent, signs of an increasing food crisis are obvious. The response to this challenge should be European and global. Europe is working to deliver a blocked one In Ukraine, grain on the world market and at the same time increase its own production of grain. Europe also helps Africa to reduce dependence on imports. It is time to end negative addiction. It is time to establish new connections. It is time to replace the old chains with new connections, ”summed up von der Lyayen.