Pope Francis condemned the blockade of wheat exports from Ukrainian seaports and addressed the threat of famine in different parts of the world that depend on grain imports from Ukraine, Vatican News reports.
“Of great concern is the blockade of grain exports from Ukraine, on which the lives of millions of people depend, especially in the poorest countries,” – the pontiff said.
“I earnestly appeal for every effort to be made to resolve this issue and to guarantee the universal human right to food. Please do not use wheat, a staple food, as a weapon of war!” – he added.
Russia has been blocking Ukrainian seaports, therefore the export of 22m tonnes of grain is currently impossible. According to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the problem that can cause a global food crisis can be resolved by military means, so he called on foreign partners to provide Ukraine with the necessary weapons.
The Office of the president of Ukraine's head advisor Mykhailo Podolyak thinks that third countries' convoys could facilitate the exports. Namely, escort for the ships with grain by the convoys of other states’ fleets.
The European Commission decided on creating the so-called transport “solidarity lines” to help Ukraine to export its agrarian products.
Great Britain's intelligence stated that despite the attempts of the Ukrainian government and Western partners to find ways for creating land logistics routes to set up grain exports from Ukraine, it will not help to deliver all the Ukrainian grain.