SEOUL, September 24 — The European Union’s ambassador to South Korea, Ugo Astuto, has warned that Russia’s war on Ukraine is threatening global food security by disrupting Ukraine’s grain exports, and called for a full and unconditional ceasefire. Astuto made the call in an op-ed published by Yonhap News Agency. The piece was dated Tuesday, Sept. 22.
According to the statement, Russia is “choking off Ukraine’s options for transport of grain across the Black Sea, the Danube River and overland corridors.” The ambassador wrote that deliberate attacks on commercial shipping, ports, inland logistics, warehouses and agricultural infrastructure are striking at Ukraine’s ability to trade with the world. He said the attacks threaten the food security of millions of people across Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.
Export volumes and prices
Ukraine’s grain exports fell by half in August from a year earlier, Astuto noted, while international prices had already risen as a result of the attacks. The record shows the blockade of the Black Sea would affect global food markets, drive up food prices in many countries and make life harder for millions of people. The situation could worsen in the coming months.
Astuto said more than 9 million tonnes of grain, oilseeds and meals could remain outside available storage by November. If farmers are unable to sell their crops, he warned, they could lack the cash needed for the next planting season, further reducing supplies.
“This matters in a world where an estimated 645 million people face hunger,” the ambassador said. He added that the most vulnerable countries and communities are the least able to absorb another shock to food prices and supplies.
Ukraine’s role in global markets
Ukraine has long been a major supplier of agricultural products to global markets, particularly in North Africa and the Middle East. Before Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, according to Astuto, Ukraine accounted for 15 percent of global corn exports, 10 percent of wheat exports, 15-20 percent of barley exports and 50 percent of sunflower oil exports. The EU has supported Ukraine’s grain exports through the Solidarity Lanes since May 2022.
Astuto said those routes cannot replace the Black Sea, which handles about 90 percent of Ukraine’s agricultural exports. “These measures can only mitigate the consequences.
They cannot substitute for safe navigation in the Black Sea,” he said. Astuto called for a moratorium on attacks against grain export facilities, infrastructure and shipping in the Black Sea, as well as international pressure on Russia to accept a ceasefire and enter peace negotiations. “The international community should not allow access to food to become another weapon of war,” he wrote.
“Ukraine has shown its readiness for a just and lasting peace, beginning with a full and unconditional ceasefire.” The op-ed was published by Yonhap News Agency. A file photo from June 26, 2026, shows Astuto speaking during an interview with Yonhap News Agency in Seoul.
A separate EPA file photo from July 23, 2026, shows a combine harvester working in a field with part of the wheat burned after a drone attack in the Zaporizhzhia area of Ukraine. What to watch next is whether the moratorium call gains traction among Ukraine’s partners and whether Black Sea shipping can be restored before the next planting season.
