Italy warns of a ‘bread war’ about to take place

Italian Foreign Minister Luigi di Maio warned that if the military conflict in Ukraine does not end soon, a prolonged famine could cause political instability in Africa. He also suggested that the risk of “terrorism and coups” was increasing.

“The bread war is on and we must stop it,” he declared.

Di Maio called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to “work together” to reach a peace agreement as soon as possible, including a specific agreement on wheat.

“There are 30 million tons of grain blocked at Ukrainian ports by Russian warships. We want to make sure that Russia lifts the ban on grain exports in Ukrainian ports, because this move risks triggering conflicts. new war in Africa”.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi had previously asked Putin to allow grain exports from both Russia and parts of Ukraine under Moscow’s control. On June 3, Putin told Russian TV channel that shipments could be made through Belarus.

“The easiest way to solve the problem of Ukraine’s grain exports is through Belarus. No one is stopping that,” Putin argued. “But if we want to do this, we must lift the sanctions of Belarus.”

Last week, Italy said it would help Ukraine create sea corridors to transport wheat.

Di Maio also called on Putin to sign a truce that would allow Italy to evacuate civilians in eastern Ukraine, although it is unclear whether this would fall outside the existing humanitarian corridors established by Russia.

He added that on June 7, Italy will meet with Germany and the Mediterranean countries to “achieve the goal of bringing wheat out of Ukraine”.

Ukraine produces 15% of corn, almost 10% of wheat and half of the sunflower oil on the world export market, making it a key link in the global food chain.