WAR: Ukrainian foreign minister accuses Putin of "racketeering" in grain deal exit

Ukraine’s foreign minister on Thursday accused Russia of “racketeering” by exiting the black sea grain initiative.

“Russia is happy with the surge in global food prices,” Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Twitter. “They killed the Black Sea Grain Initiative exactly for this: to increase their exports and hunger profits.”

“Saddest of all, Putin's racketeering will be paid for by the most vulnerable, notably in a number of African countries.”

The collapse of the pact threatens to push up food prices for consumers worldwide and tip millions into hunger. Before the war, Ukraine was the fifth-largest wheat exporter globally, accounting for 10% of exports, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Ukraine is among the world’s top three exporters of barley, maize and rapeseed oil, says Gro Intelligence, an agricultural data firm. It is also by far the biggest exporter of sunflower oil, accounting for 46% of the world’s exports, according to the United Nations.