Pope Francis calls for not using Ukrainian wheat as 'weapon of war'

Amid the ongoing ruthless war in Eastern Europe, Pope Francis has urged that Ukrainian wheat should not be used as a "weapon of war." Speaking during his weekly General Audience in the Vatican, he expressed grave concern about the Ukrainian grain blockade, which threatens the lives of millions of people, particularly in the poorest countries. He also asked for the immediate unblocking of Ukrainian ports so that wheat exports can resume and a global humanitarian crisis can be avoided. 

"I earnestly appeal for every effort to be made to resolve this issue and to guarantee the universal human right to food. Please do not use wheat, a staple food, as a weapon of war,” the Pope remarked, Anadolu Agency reported. Earlier in May, the Ukrainian government also reminded Pope Francis that Russia was the sole perpetrator of the ongoing conflict, and also extended an invitation to the pontiff to visit Kyiv. Meanwhile, the European Union has also criticised Russia's attempts to cause a worldwide food crisis and urged the Kremlin to end its blockade of Ukrainian shipping channels.

Ukraine accuses Russia of blocking around 22 million tonnes of grain

Further, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also accused Russia of blocking around 22 million tonnes of grain including barley, sunflowers, etc., at Ukrainian ports. He also accused Russia of "stealing and exporting" Ukrainian crops. He further claimed that Ukrainian authorities have a fair idea of where stolen grains are being delivered and that country's Foreign Ministry is looking into this matter, Ukrinform reported. According to reports, Ukraine has produced a substantial portion of the world's food but is unable to bring record autumn harvests to the world market owing to the Russian invasion.

Ukraine is one of the largest exporters of grain

It is pertinent to mention here that Ukraine exports large amounts of grain to countries all over the world, with Asia and Africa being its primary buyers. According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), up to 25 African nations, including many least developed countries, import more than one-third of their wheat from the two warring countries. Furthermore, Ukraine supplies 50% of the grain for the World Food Programme (WFP), which feeds 125 million of the world's poorest people.

Image: AP