Pope Francis has warned that food cannot become a weapon in the war Russia has launched against Ukraine.
The 85-year-old pontiff said during a regular audience on St. Peter's Square in the Vatican on June 1 that a blockade of grain exports from Ukraine, which millions of people depend on, especially in the poorest countries, "is causing grave concern."
"Please, one does not use grain, a basic food, as a weapon in war," he said, adding that everything must be done to solve the problem and guarantee people's basic right to food staples.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, it has blockaded Ukraine's ports, halting the shipment of thousands of tons of grain from one of the world's largest suppliers. Ukrainian officials have also accused Russia of stealing grain stocks from Ukraine and shipping them back home.
On June 1, the Kremlin said sanctions imposed on Russia by the West, and moves by Ukraine, were to blame for the potential food crisis.