English Section

Polish UN envoy accuses Russia of 'weaponizing food production'

24.05.2023 11:30
Poland's envoy to the United Nations has accused Russia of "weaponizing food production" as part of its war in Ukraine.
Krzysztof Szczerski.
Krzysztof Szczerski. PAP/Radek Pietruszka

Addressing the UN Security Council on Tuesday, Krzysztof Szczerski stressed the importance of investing in resilient infrastructure to ensure the well-being and safety of civilians, news outlets reported.

Russia 'deliberately and cynically destroying crops and farming equipment'

The Polish UN ambassador said that Russia’s aggression in Ukraine was "an example of weaponizing food production."

He added that "from the very beginning of the invasion, Russia has been deliberately and cynically destroying new crops and farming equipment,” Polish state news agency PAP reported.

Szczerski welcomed the recent extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, an agreement brokered by the United Nations and Turkey to enable Ukraine to export millions of tonnes of grain through the Black Sea despite the ongoing Russian invasion, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.

He cautioned, however, that only ending the war and unblocking all Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea would ensure grain exports and restore balance in the global food market, according to officials.

Szczerski also told the UN Security Council that substantial efforts were needed to demine areas including farmland in various regions of Ukraine, Polish Radio's polskieradio24.pl news website reported.

Wednesday is day 455 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

(gs)

Source: IAR, PAP, press.un.orgpolskieradio24.pl