NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Republican senators warn that Russia is using food manipulation as a weapon in its deadly invasion of Ukraine and are working with Ukrainian leaders to draw attention to the deepening global food security crisis.
During a roundtable at the US Capitol on Wednesday, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., sat down with several senior Ukrainian civil society leaders to discuss the impact of the Russo-Ukrainian war on to discuss the world food supply chain.
Republican senators, both from agrarian-rich states, are concerned about recent increases in food and gas prices that could spell disaster for the US and the rest of the world, which is hyper-connected by the grocery trade.
RUSSIA INVADES UKRAINE: LIVE UPDATES
Sens. Joni Ernst and Roger Marshall work with Ukrainian leaders to draw attention to the deepening global food crisis. (Kelly Laco/Fox News Digital) (Fox News)
Marshall called the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, which alongside the ongoing war in Ukraine contributed to rising food prices due to higher demand and less available labor, a “perfect storm” of problems for agriculture.
“Senator Ernst and I are here today to warn everyone that today is food insecurity and tomorrow may be famine. In fact, I think the stage is set for another possible Arab Spring,” Marshall said. “Right now, Ukrainian farmers should be planning corn, sunflowers and soybeans, but instead they have to turn their plows into weapons.”
Ernst has criticized Russia for using food as a “silent weapon” to starve civilians and force Ukraine to surrender to its army.
US commander admits Biden’s deterrence strategy in Ukraine failed
“This is a food crisis,” said Ernst. “The best and quickest way to tackle the food crisis is for Ukraine to win the war. It’s an absolute must and she can win and I know she can win.”
Known as the “breadbasket” of the world, Ukraine is one of the largest producers of wheat, sunflower oil, honey and other commodities. About 400 million people, including those in Africa and the Middle East, depend on Ukraine and Russia for food, according to the senators.
Daria Kaleniuk, the co-founder and executive director of the Anti-Corruption Action Center, told reporters that her grandmother, who remains in Ukraine, stores piles of potatoes to prevent her from starving during the Russian invasion.
Sens. Joni Ernst and Roger Marshall host roundtable on global food crisis. (Kelly Laco/Fox News Digital) (Fox News)
“Hunger is a tool that Russia uses against Ukrainians,” she explained.
Maria Berlinska, a Ukrainian military volunteer and women’s rights activist, said the Russian propaganda was an attack on “our democracies, our free people”.
Berlinska, who recently lost her brother in Ukraine to the Russian attack, said Russia was engaged in “total genocide” against Ukraine. She calls on the US to send more defensive weapons to Ukraine to help its army fight back against the Russians.
Maria Berlinska, a Ukrainian military volunteer and women’s rights activist, said the Russian propaganda was an attack on “our democracies, our free people”. (Kelly Laco/Fox News Digital) (Fox News)
dr Hanna Hopko, a former member of Ukraine’s parliament, expressed optimism that “Victory is in store for Ukraine” because it was the only solution to the food shortages.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
She said farmers in the country are struggling to produce food because they have to continue to take out weapons, mines and other implements of war that are being thrown into their fields. The farmer is only allowed to plant about 70% of the normal crop this spring, she said.
“We need action, action now,” Hopko explained.
Fox News’ Kelly Phares contributed to this report.