The foreign minister has said Hungary has offered to provide a route for Ukrainian food produce exports.
On the sidelines of a European Union foreign ministers’ meeting in Luxembourg, Péter Szijjártó noted that the war in Ukraine is threatening to cause global food shortages and trigger further migration waves, adding that for a transport corridor to work, the border between the two countries must be kept safe. Minister Szijjarto said, “the vicious circle threatening the world” was fuelled by high inflation and dwindling exports of agricultural products from Ukraine and Russia, resulting in rising prices. The lack of alternative resources and the fact that Russia, Ukraine and Belarus are important players in the world market of artificial fertilizers are exacerbating the problem, he said.
Minister Szijjarto noted that several speakers at the meeting called for further arms deliveries to Ukraine. “I am not entirely sure that this is the best global solution to a food shortage.” He called for a “sound” plan to rebuild Ukrainian and Russian export capacities to be accepted speedily. Russia and Ukraine provide 30 percent of wheat and 80 percent of sunflower seed exports globally, he noted.
Photo credit: Facebook/Szijjártó Péter