Putin must end war to avoid global food, energy calamity: EU’s top diplomat
Nusa Dua, Indonesia, Jul 8 (EFE).- The European Union’s top diplomat said Friday that Russian president Vladimir Putin must end the war in Ukraine to avoid “a global food and energy calamity.”
“G20 Ministers focus today on food and energy security and there is an absolute urgency to act,” Josep Borrell tweeted after the G20 foreign ministers’ group meeting on the Indonesian island resort of Bali.
“We work on various strands of action, but the easiest solution remains with one man: President Putin, who should stop this senseless war to avoid a global food and energy calamity,” the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy continued.
The Spanish politician added that the unprecedented food crisis that has been exacerbated by the war in Ukraine was not the result of sanctions being slapped on Moscow.
“This food crisis is not caused by any sanctions. But by Russia invading the world’s breadbasket and turning the shipping lanes of the Black Sea into a war zone,” Borrell said.
He recalled that 1.2 billion people are “severely exposed to the combination of rising food and energy prices and tightening financial conditions.”
“Now, Russia is blocking millions of tons of grains in Ukrainian storage facilities, using food as a weapon of war,” the EU’s foreign affairs chief concluded.
The United Nations recently warned of an “unprecedented global hunger crisis” with 276 million people facing food insecurity.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba told G20 ministers Friday that curbing Russia was the biggest global challenge.
“Putting Russia in its place is the number one challenge and today’s meeting has proved it,” Kuleba tweeted after appearing at the G20 meeting via videoconference.
He added that a “resolute global response to Russian aggression that threatens the world with an energy and food crisis” had to be agreed on.
The presence of Russia’s Sergei Lavrov at the group of 20 meeting has sparked friction among member states and placed the top Russian diplomat in the same room as some of Moscow’s staunchest critics.
China will be one of Russia’s few supporters at the group meeting, since, apart from the neutral approaches of India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and South Africa, the remaining G20 economies (United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Japan, South Korea, Turkey, Australia and the European Union) are all steadfast in their rejection of Moscow’s invasion.EFE
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