Russia is using hunger as a weapon in its war and an instrument of domination, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said in an address to the Irish parliament.
He accused President Vladimir Putin of trying to cut off vital food supplies for people in Ukraine and also further afield by preventing cargo from being exported.
In a virtual address to the Joint Houses of the Oireachtas on Wednesday morning, Zelenskiy said Russia had carried out missile strikes on a Ukrainian oil depot overnight.
According to him, Russia has also blocked all of Ukrainian seaports together with its vessels, which already had agricultural cargos for exports.
“Why are they doing this? Because for them hunger is also a weapon, a weapon against us, ordinary people, as an instrument of domination. Ukraine is one of the leading food supplying countries in the world,” President Zelenskiy said, according to thenationalnews.com.
He said Russia’s actions in Ukraine were a threat to food supplies in countries around the world including those in Africa and Asia, and accused Moscow of “deliberately provoking a food crisis”.
“There will be a shortage of food and the prices will go up and this is the reality for the millions of people who are hungry and it will be more difficult for them to feed their families, especially in North Africa.”
Ukrainian leader warned dwindling food exports from Ukraine risked causing “political turbulence” in countries, which rely heavily on Ukraine to feed citizens. This scenario, he said, could lead possibly lead to the mass exodus of refugees from their homelands in search of food.
He urged Ireland’s political leaders to use their influence to convince EU nations to usher in tougher sanctions to halt the Russian war machine.
President Zelenskiy was reportedly given a standing ovation after delivering his speech, and Ireland's Prime Minister Micheal Martin delivered a message to Ukrainian refugees who have in recent weeks sought sanctuary in Ireland.
“To those who have arrived here from Ukraine, I hope you find in Ireland safe harbor and friendship for as long as you need it. In the meantime, our home is your home,” he said.
Zelenskiy's speech to Irish politicians came after he used an address to the UN Security Council on Tuesday to call for an inquiry similar to the Nuremburg trials to be set up to investigate possible Meanwhile, Brussels announced a further package of sanctions against Russia on April 6. European Union member states have reportedly agreed on a fourth package of sanctions against Russia following its so-called “special military operation” in Ukraine.
The European Commission has proposed a ban on coal imports from Russia and a full transaction ban on four key Russian banks as part of its fifth round of punitive measures.
According to Radio Liberty, the French presidency said revoking Russia's "most-favored nation" trade status would be part of the package, a move that could open the door to the bloc banning or imposing punitive tariffs on Russian goods and putting Russia on the same level with North Korea or Iran.
Diplomats said sanctions were set to include an import ban on Russian steel and iron, an export ban on luxury goods including cars worth more than 50,000 euros ($55,000), and a ban on investments in oil companies and the energy sector.
Chelsea soccer club owner Roman Abramovich and 14 other individuals would also be added to the EU list of sanctioned Russian billionaire oligarchs, diplomats were quoted as saying by RFE/RL.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has also said the package agreed upon by EU leaders at a summit last week also blocks Russia's access to funds from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.
The latest sanctions will be formally in place once they have been published in the EU's official journal. Russian war crimes in Ukraine.
