Russia is weaponizing food supplies , EU’s von der Leyen says

“In Russian-occupied Ukraine, the Kremlin’s army is confiscating grain stocks and machinery (…) And Russian warships in the Black Sea are blockading Ukrainian ships full of wheat and sunflower seeds,” von der Leyen added.

The EU has pledged to open “solidarity channels” with Ukraine – alternative logistics routes to help the country export grain. Agriculture ministers from EU countries meet in Brussels on Tuesday to discuss progress in launching these.

The Kremlin said on Monday (May 23) that it was the West that was responsible for the global food crisis by imposing the severest sanctions in modern history on Russia over the war in Ukraine.

(Reuters)