European Union (EU) heads of state and government said on Thursday that Russia was “solely responsible” for the current global food crisis, and urged Moscow to unblock Ukrainian Black Sea ports.
“Russia, using food as a weapon in its war against Ukraine, is solely responsible for the global food security crisis it has provoked,” EU leaders said in the conclusions of the summit in Brussels.
The countries’ representatives also insisted that Moscow “immediately” stop targeting agricultural facilities and grabbing grain. They also called for the unblocking of the Black Sea, “mainly the port of Odessa, to allow for the export of grain and commercial transport operations”.
“The European Council supports the efforts of the UN Secretary General in this regard. The European Council underlines that EU sanctions against Russia allow the free movement of agricultural and food products and the provision of humanitarian assistance”, they stressed.
The leaders also said they “strongly” support efforts in solidarity corridors proposed by the European Commission to facilitate Ukraine’s exports through different EU land routes and ports.
Before the war, Ukraine was an essential grain exporter to the entire world, in particular to Africa and the Middle East.
The leaders recalled that the EU will continue to provide “strong support to Ukraine’s global economic, military, social and financial resistance, including humanitarian assistance” and condemned “Russia’s indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure”.
In addition, they urged Russia to “immediately and unconditionally withdraw all its troops and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders”.
“Russia, Belarus and all those responsible for war crimes and the most serious crimes will be held accountable in accordance with international law,” they added.
For the leaders, the adoption of the sixth EU sanctions package “further intensifies the pressure on Russia to end its war against Ukraine”. “The European Council calls on all countries to align themselves with EU sanctions, in particular candidate countries. Work on the Council’s decision to add the violation of EU restrictive measures to the EU’s list of offenses must be completed quickly “, they commented.
Member States assured that they remain “strongly committed to providing further military support to help Ukraine exercise its inherent right of self-defense against Russian aggression and defend its territorial integrity and sovereignty”. To this end, the European Council appeals to the EU Council, which brings together the countries’ ministers, to “work quickly on a further increase in military support”, they added.
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