Josep Borrell accused Russia of causing the global food crisis

EU High Representative for Foreign Policy Josep Borrell on Thursday accused Russia of provoking the global food crisis by deliberately attacking granaries in the port of Odessa.

“For the third night, Russia bombs and destroys the port infrastructure of Odessa. [Mar Negro] and granaries. 60,000 tons of grain burned down. [A Rússia] not only abandoned the agreement on the export of Ukrainian grain, but also burns [a produção]”, – said the head of EU diplomacy before the meeting of foreign ministers of the countries of the European bloc.

According to Borrell, Russia’s actions against Ukraine could lead to “a huge food crisis around the world.”

“If this grain is not stored and destroyed, this means that there may be a shortage of food, grains at the global level,” Borrell warned, saying that European Union foreign ministers will resolve this issue with their Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba via videoconference. .

Ukrainian authorities have linked attacks on port infrastructure in Odessa to Russia’s recent withdrawal from a grain export agreement.

To return to the pact, Moscow is calling for the lifting of sanctions on the export of Russian grains and fertilizers to international markets, as well as the removal of obstacles placed on Russian banks, and an “immediate” connection to the SWIFT bank transfer system.

In this sense, Borrell pushed for a European response that would increase military support for Ukraine to help Kyiv defend itself against Russian attacks.

“The large-scale attacks of the last three nights require us to respond. There can only be one answer. Beyond rhetoric, provide more military resources,” he said.

At the moment, according to EFE, a proposal is being discussed to use 20 billion euros for weapons destined for Ukraine in the coming years.

Upon arriving at the meeting, Borrell declined to confirm the cost of the proposals, stating, however, that it was “a very significant amount of money.”

“Ukraine needs not monthly support, but long-term support and structural and permanent support,” he said.

Borrell’s proposal to support Kyiv should begin to be discussed in the coming months and must be approved by 27 EU countries.

“If the question was posed to the foreign ministers, then the answer will be more positive than the answer to the finance ministers,” a diplomatic source sneered at the Spanish agency EFE ahead of a meeting this Thursday in Brussels.