Photo by Raphael Rychetsky on Unsplash
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has led to rising world prices and hunger.
Russian aggression against Ukraine has jeopardised not only Ukrainian territory and its citizens but also global food security. According to the United Nations, around 828 million people suffer from malnutrition, and Russia’s actions are exacerbating this crisis. Ukraine, one of the world’s largest grain exporters, provides food to dozens of countries, particularly in Africa and the Middle East. Russian attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure—grain storage facilities, ports, and transportation routes—are threatening food supplies to these regions.
Since the beginning of the war, Russia has destroyed about 30% of Ukraine’s agricultural infrastructure. This has led to a sharp increase in global grain prices. In July 2023, Russia withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, resulting in the loss of 300,000 tons of Ukrainian grain and further worsening the food crisis. For countries dependent on Ukrainian supplies, these actions have become a threat to food security and increased the risk of hunger.
On September 12, 2024, Russian forces fired upon an Egyptian ship carrying Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea. This incident underscores Russia’s use of food as a tool of pressure, disrupting global supply chains. Furthermore, Russia continues the illegal export of stolen Ukrainian grain from occupied territories, passing it off as its own. In July and August 2024, two ships transported wheat from the ports of Feodosia and Sevastopol to Egypt. These actions are part of a broader scheme where Russia exports grain from temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories to third countries, disguising it as its own.
To conceal this illegal activity, ships often turn off their Automatic Identification Systems (AIS), making it difficult to track their routes. This has led to international condemnation and heightened concerns about the illicit use of Ukrainian resources to fund Russian aggression. Such actions pose a threat to global food supply chains, especially for countries in Africa and the Middle East that heavily rely on Ukrainian exports. Additionally, Russia’s actions destabilise the global food market, leading to shortages and sharp price increases for essential goods.
Belgium is actively engaged in addressing the consequences of Russian interference in global food security. As a leader in the European Union, Belgium supports initiatives aimed at ensuring safe passage for Ukrainian ships through the Black Sea, thereby restoring food supplies to needy regions.
Moreover, Belgium plays a key role in the work of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), helping to deliver food to crisis areas. Thanks to Belgian support, countries in Africa and the Middle East continue to receive essential food aid. Belgian companies are also contributing to the development of sustainable agricultural systems, helping countries reduce their dependence on imports and protect themselves from external crises.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo has condemned Russia’s actions, stating that the blockade of Ukrainian ports and attacks on infrastructure directly lead to rising food prices and threaten millions of lives. In March 2023, De Croo asserted that Russia bears full responsibility for the global food crisis, contrary to Moscow’s claims that EU sanctions are to blame. Belgium also became the first country to support the Ukrainian “Grain from Ukraine” initiative, allocating 10 million euros to it. This program aims to deliver food to countries in Africa and the Middle East suffering from food shortages.
De Croo also praised Ukraine’s contribution to global food security, noting that in times of war, the only way to overcome such challenges is through unity. “You have shown that in difficult times, the only way to overcome these challenges is unity. Together, we can overcome these difficulties,” he said at an international meeting dedicated to food security.
The international community cannot remain indifferent to the humanitarian and food crisis created by Russia. World leaders must urgently permit Ukraine to use long-range weapons to strike military targets within Russia. Delay only increases the threat of a global food crisis, which will have catastrophic consequences, especially for countries dependent on grain supplies. Russia uses food as a tool of political pressure, destroying Ukrainian infrastructure and driving up prices in the global market. Without decisive action from the international community, this crisis could escalate into mass hunger in the most vulnerable regions.
