US accuses Russia of holding food supplies hostage | First Thing

Antony Blinken demanded that Russia lift its blockade of Ukraine's Black Sea ports and suggested the Kremlin was using food as a weapon

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Good morning.

With the Russian invasion of Ukraine entering its 86th day, the US is accusing Russia of holding the world's food supply hostage amid growing fears of famine in developing countries. Antony Blinken, US secretary of state, demanded at a UN security council meeting yesterday that Russia lift its blockade of Ukraine's Black Sea ports and enable the flow of food and fertiliser around the world.

Ukraine's grain exports fell from 5m tons a month before Russia's February invasion to 200,000 tons in March and about 1.1m tons in April, said Serhii Dvornyk, a member of Ukraine's mission to the UN, who pointed out that 400 million people around the world depended on grain from Ukraine.

Dmitry Medvedev, a former president of Russia, warned that Russia would not continue food supplies unless the west eased its sanctions against the Kremlin.