June 9, 2022 4:34 PM GMT+7
Ukraine's
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visits a position of Ukrainian service members,
as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Lysychansk, Luhansk region, Ukraine
June 5, 2022. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS
KYIV, June 9 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned that millions of people could starve because of a
Russian blockade of Ukraine's Black Sea ports which he said had left the world
"on the brink of a terrible food crisis."
Russia has seized large parts of Ukraine's coast, blocking farm
exports and driving up the cost of grain. read more
Zelenskiy said Ukraine was now unable to
export large amounts of wheat, corn, vegetable oil and other products that had
played a "stabilising role in the global market".
"Millions of people may starve if the
Russian blockade of the Black Sea continues," he said in a video statement
to the TIME100 Gala 2022 in New York that was released by Ukrainian authorities
on Thursday.
Ukraine and the West accuse Moscow of
weaponising food supplies. Russia says Ukrainian mines laid at sea and
international sanctions on Moscow are to blame.
Kyiv used to export most of its goods through
seaports but since Russia's Feb. 24 invasion has been forced to transport grain
by train via Ukraine's western border or via small Danube river ports.
Zelenskiy, who was included on Time
magazine's list of the 100 most influential people of 2022, said he was
grateful to U.S. President Joe Biden for "uniting the free world when the
Russian threat arose".
He also appealed to Ukraine's allies to
supply it with more arms, drawing comparisons between what he described as
Russian hatred and COVID-19.
"Weapons and sanctions are also a
vaccine: a vaccine against COVID-22 brought by Russia. Hatred is a virus, and
it’s even more deadly than COVID-19," he said.
Russia did not immediately respond to
Zelenskiy's comments. Moscow says its "special military operation" in
Ukraine is intended to disarm and "denazify" its neighbour. Ukraine
and its allies say Moscow has launched an unprovoked war of aggression.
Reporting By Timothy Heritage
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