EU called for dialogue with Russia to facilitate Ukraine’s food exports.

Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission’s chief executive, called for talks with Moscow on Tuesday to free wheat exports stranded in Ukraine due to a Russian sea blockade.

 

Last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Russia of using food as a weapon by holding ‘hostage’ supplies for millions of people worldwide, not just Ukrainians. This allegation is denied by Moscow.

 

‘The most crucial (thing) is to open up the Black Sea. This is a request to Russia ‘ the press spoke with von der Leyen on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum.

 

Von der Leyen, the president of the European Union’s executive, warned that a food crisis was looming and that some sort of dialogue with Moscow was required to free 20 million tonnes of wheat trapped in Ukraine.

 

‘It cannot be in Russia’s interest that people die of hunger around the world because of Russia,’ she said, adding that a solution to create food corridors needed to be found.

 

‘I think we should first look at the dialogue with Russia to see if there isn’t an agreement that this wheat gets out of Ukraine,’ European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said.