Over 4M tonnes of grain blocked in Ukrainian ports due to war - UN

Almost 4.5 million tonnes of grain have been blocked in Ukrainian ports. Exports through the closed sea routes are halted amid an ongoing Russian military invasion.

This was stated by the UN World Food Program official Martin Frick, Ukrinform reports with reference to RFE/RL.

Before the war, Ukraine was one of the world's largest wheat exporters and corn producers. Many countries rely on Ukrainian wheat supplies, according to the UN.

"Hunger should not become a weapon," Frick said. He called for the resumption of Ukrainian food supplies to other nations to alleviate the global food crisis.

Western governments have repeatedly warned of a possible food crisis and famine in a number of countries due to Russia's war against Ukraine. In March, the United Nations saw food prices rise by more than 12 percent, a record since 1990.

Rising prices and supply disruptions have jeopardized food safety in the Middle East, Africa, and parts of Asia, where the population is constantly malnourished and where millions survive on bread they receive off subsidies and cheap noodles.

It should be recalled that in late March, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said the Russian Navy was blocking access to Ukrainian ports, depriving Kyiv of the opportunity to export grain and preventing 94 ships carrying food from entering the Mediterranean.