Suspected Russian drone strikes on civilian shipping in the Black Sea are piling further pressure on global food supplies, the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has warned.
Addressing the European Parliament on Tuesday, Kallas said vessels had come under attack six times in 10 days, describing it as "a dangerous and unacceptable escalation".
The strikes have hit ships off the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria, both EU and NATO members, prompting alarm across Europe.
Kallas, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, accused the Kremlin of trying to choke off Ukraine’s income while Russian troops make little progress on the battlefield. She said Ukraine was losing around €60 million a day in export revenue.
Ukraine is one of the world’s leading exporters of wheat, maize and barley, most of which leaves the country by sea.
Kallas said global grain reserves were in better shape than in 2022, when a Russian blockade left 20 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain stranded.
"Global grain stockpiles are larger than in 2022," she said. "But the global food system is now facing a perfect storm: a super El Nino, drought in both hemispheres, and conflict in the Middle East, straining fertiliser exports."
But she warned of a combination of threats: a super El Niño, drought in both hemispheres, and conflict in the Middle East disrupting fertiliser exports.
"Russia’s actions make it harder to put food on people’s plates across the world," she said.
Back-up routes at risk
Since 2022, the EU has built overland "solidarity lanes" to carry Ukrainian goods through its member states instead of across the Black Sea. Kallas said these were now under threat too, as Russia targets border crossings with Moldova, Romania and Poland.
Last week, EU leaders called for safe passage for civilian shipping in the Black Sea to be restored immediately.
NATO to deploy 'additional assets'
NATO spokesperson Allison Hart announced later on Tuesday that the alliance would be sending "additional assets" to the Black Sea region following the recent wave of drone incidents.
"NATO will be sending additional assets to the region, including support for surveillance, reconnaissance, and forensics," Hart wrote in a post on social media.
"We will continue to stand united and ensure that we are ready and able to address any threat and to keep our one billion people safe."