The blockade of the Black Sea due to Russian aggression poses a food security challenge not only for Ukraine but also for many countries around the world.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said this on Telegram, referring to his conversation with American journalist Fareed Zakaria during the 2026 Yalta European Strategy meeting.
“Prolonging the war is now a challenge not only for Ukraine, it is a challenge for Russia’s economy and a challenge for everyone in the world. Take the example of the Black Sea blockade. Today, we have a blocked food corridor. It is almost blocked on the Ukrainian side, and it is blocked on the Russian side. And this is a challenge for everyone. I have spoken with Egypt, India, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the Emirates,” Zelenskyi said.
He stressed that Ukrainians would not be left without food.
“The price of grain will fall because exports will be expensive, the infrastructure for these sales will be complicated, and logistics will be terrible. This will be very difficult for us,” Zelenskyi said.
At the same time, he noted that, apart from Ukraine, other countries would find themselves in a much worse situation, as they would simply have no food: “Many peoples will have nothing to eat, even if they have money. This is true. It will be Hormuz, only agricultural. And this is a serious problem. This issue should not be resolved by Ukraine alone. Because it is a challenge for many.”
He stressed that agriculture and energy were two challenges facing the entire world today.
“And if peace is impossible today because one person does not want it, the issues of an energy truce and food security can be resolved. Such decisions can be made. We raised these issues a long time ago, but now they are extremely relevant,” Zelenskyi added. (Ukrinform)