Zelenskyy warns Russia plots new migration crisis, food crisis

Paris, Jun 9 (EFE).- Russia is plotting a new migration crisis in African and Asian countries that are dependent on grain imports from Ukraine, president Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned on Thursday.

“For a long time, the world underestimated the importance of Ukraine and our warnings. Russia knew that a destabilized Ukraine would have consequences for the whole world,” he said in a videoconference speech at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) meeting in Paris.

“That is why Russia wants to be in control of Ukraine,” he added.

Zelenskyy said the war had to be stopped “quickly” to ensure food exports from Black Sea ports to countries which are heavily dependent on Ukrainian and Russian grain could continue.

“Ukrainian exports have a stabilizing role and Russia must answer for the new migration crisis it is preparing by taking hostage the inhabitants of Africa and Asia,” he told the OECD meeting, adding “long-term and painful” sanctions must continue to be applied against Russia.

Earlier Thursday, Zelenskyy warned millions of people may starve if Russia’s blockade of Black Sea ports continued.

“We cannot export our wheat, corn, vegetable oil and other products that have played a stabilizing role in the global market.

“This means that, unfortunately, dozens of countries may face a physical shortage of food. Millions of people may starve if Russia’s blockade of the Black Sea continues,” he said in a video conference speech at the TIME100 Gala.

The UN warned Wednesday that the global food crisis caused by the war in Ukraine could become a “catastrophe” by 2023. EFE

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