UN warns Russia's war on Ukraine threatens global food security

The United Nations has warned that Russia's war against Ukraine is threatening global food security, saying disruptions to agricultural exports are already affecting countries that rely on such supplies.

Ukraine has historically been one of the world's largest exporters of grain and other agricultural products, and the war has repeatedly disrupted shipping routes, port infrastructure and farming activity within the country since the full-scale invasion began.

According to the UN, the impact of these disruptions extends well beyond Ukraine's borders, reaching countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia that depend on imported grain to feed their populations. Interruptions to the flow of these exports can contribute to higher food prices and greater food insecurity in vulnerable regions.

Exports remain vulnerable

Efforts to keep Ukrainian food exports moving, including arrangements involving Black Sea shipping corridors, have faced repeated challenges throughout the conflict, with both military activity and diplomatic disputes affecting the reliability of export routes.

The UN's warning underscores the extent to which the war's consequences have rippled into global commodity markets, well beyond the immediate combatants, and adds to pressure on the international community to find ways to protect food supply chains even as the conflict continues.