Any act by Russia to disrupt critical grain exports is essentially, would be essentially. Such a statement made the Spokesperson of the US Department of State.

“We deeply regret Russia’s decision to suspend its participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which is having immediate harmful impacts on global food security. Russia should return to full participation in the initiative, and we urge all parties to swiftly agree to sustain this crucial program through the months to come.

Any disruption to the initiative risks spiking food prices, lowering the confidence of insurers and commercial shippers who have returned to Black Sea routes, and further imposing hardships on lower-income countries already reeling from dire humanitarian crises and global food insecurity.

The initiative that went into effect on August 1st has been a great success. It has brought more than 9.5 million metric tons of grain to world markets. It has enabled lifesaving food aid to reach vulnerable people in Afghanistan, Somalia, Yemen, Ethiopia, and elsewhere. The initiative helped decrease global prices of grains and oils and reduced food insecurity in lower- and middle-income countries.

Russia is again weaponizing food in the war that it started. The most effective step to address the ongoing food security crisis would be for Russia to immediately return to the arrangement and to end its war against Ukraine.

It offered much-needed relief, much-needed support to people around the world. As I mentioned, as of yesterday, the initiative had moved more than 9.5 million tons of grains and other foodstuffs from Ukrainian ports with about 400 total voyages. The vast majority of the wheat exported under this initiative, 66 percent or two-thirds, has gone to developing countries, with 19 percent of those 9.5 million tons going to the least developed countries of the world.

It is not in anyone’s interest – it is not in Russia’s interests, it is not in the interests of the international community – to see what could be akin to a form of collective global punishment for this to remain suspended”, - said Ned Price.