European Union’s top two officials on Wednesday stepped up warnings about global food shortages as a result of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The war has left Ukraine unable to export millions of tons of grain via the Black Sea to destinations such as Africa.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, who chairs EU summits, accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of preventing Ukraine from fulfilling its traditional role as a major supplier of agricultural commodities, including wheat, to world markets.
“This is a cold, callous and calculated siege by Putin on some of the most vulnerable countries and people in the world,” Von der Leyen told the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France.
“Food has become now part of the Kremlin’s arsenal of terror and we cannot tolerate this."
Michel also said that the EU is looking into the possibility of "confiscating assets of of sanctioned Russian individuals and entities" to help finance the reconstruction of Ukraine.
"It's only fair that Russia, the aggressor, should pay to rebuild the country," he added.
Von der Leyen also said the EU must work to persuade trading partners to keep their markets open, offer aid to countries at risk and support an expansion of food production in Africa.
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