STRATEGIC ASSESSMENT- The world knows the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war,Famine conditions hit Europe, America and the West,G7 leaders talk to support Ukraine indefinitely (this is just bullshit) they do not understand their condition in economic hardship and hunger,and it should be thought that parliament will oppose their policies,People who are more intelligent will prioritize the interests of their own country and society.
A few weeks back, the Governor of the Bank of England, Andrew Bailey, gave his periodic tour d’horizon of challenges to the international system at a hearing of a House of Commons select committee. He zeroed in on the mounting global food crisis, describing it as potentially apocalyptic. This designation drew him a certain amount of rebuke from the UK press, accusing the Governor of exaggeration and doom-mongering. Yet in recent days the Governor’s warnings have been borne out by the statements of several other senior international figures, all warning of an impending food catastrophe.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, pointed to the toxic mix of rising food and energy prices, coupled with rising indebtedness that was already pushing 12 countries into economic collapse and political violence. Sri Lanka, which has run out of financial reserves to pay for its imports, is the most graphic example.
Addressing the United Nations Security Council last week, the Executive Director of the UN World Food Programme, David Beasley, outlined the scope of the challenge. Currently, 1.6bn people are suffering from food stress, which means that they do not eat every day or fall short of the minimum daily calorie intake to maintain a healthy existence. This number has gone up by a staggering 440mn additional human beings over the last two years. An additional 49mn has been added to the 276mn facing famine in the same time frame, and 49mn people in 43 countries are on the brink of starvation. In East Africa, where prolonged drought has decimated agriculture and livestock, someone dies from starvation every 48 seconds.
Hunger has always been an issue somewhere on the planet at any one time. Why is the food crisis now reaching global proportions?
Before the war, Ukraine was exporting 5mn tonnes of grain every month, but this figure has now fallen to just 1.5mn tonnes,In the first place, the war in Ukraine has instigated a chain of consequences. The rich, black soils of Ukraine are famous for their productivity. Before Russia invaded, Ukraine’s exports of wheat and maize were supplying calories to 440mn people, especially in North Africa and the Middle East. Together with Russia, Ukraine’s grain exports make up 28% of the global total – or 12% of all traded calories. This figure rises to 80% for sunflower oil, which is used for cooking throughout Africa and the Middle East. Russia and Ukraine are the principal grain exporters to 50 countries.
Before the war, Ukraine was exporting 5mn tonnes of grain every month, but this figure has now fallen to just 1.5mn tonnes. Ukraine’s storage silos contain 25mn tonnes of wheat and maize; however, Ukraine cannot export this grain as Russia is blockading its Black Sea ports. Vital port infrastructure and road and rail links have been damaged by Russian bombardments. Ukraine has also mined its harbours to defend against Russian amphibious landings. After some commercial vessels were hit by mines, and reports surfaced that mines were floating freely in the Black Sea, international shipowners were reluctant to send their vessels into the Black Sea to collect grain even if the principal port for exports, Odessa, remains in Ukrainian hands.
Yet the problem extends further. The Russian forces are reported to be confiscating grain stocks in areas under their control or destroying crops altogether. Tractors and farm equipment have been carted off to Chechnya, according to some reports, and many farms have been destroyed or damaged. With farmers and farm hands leaving to join the armed forces, the spring planting season is being disrupted and Ukraine’s harvest will inevitably be smaller than in previous years. According to Ukraine’s Agriculture Ministry, the shortfall could be anything between 30% and 50%.
Russia’s food exports are not subject to international sanctions and Russia is the world’s largest exporter of wheat. Yet, sanctions on shipping, difficulties to obtain insurance, financing restrictions and sanctions on certain imports, as well as Turkey’s restrictions on passage through the Black Sea straights, are making it harder for Russia to get its grain to its traditional markets. Russia needs to import seeds and fertiliser too. United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken has accused Russia of ‘weaponising’ grain in its war against Ukraine in an attempt to blame the food crisis on the international sanctions rather than on Russia’s military actions.
G7 leaders agree to support Ukraine indefinitely – Bloomberg(Just bragging).
they only shows existence to the world,they are capable and in fact it’s just bullshit because their country is affected by the economic crisis and famine,
The Group of Seven (G7) will pledge to provide support to Ukraine in all possible forms “for as long as it takes,” according to a draft communique of its ongoing summit, seen by Bloomberg.
The three-day meeting of the G7 leaders started on Sunday in Bavaria, Germany, with the Ukrainian conflict dominating the agenda.
“We will continue to provide financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support and stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes,” reads the draft of the leaders’ statement.
Russia has warned the US, EU and their allies against providing Ukraine with weapons, saying that it will only prolong the conflict. However, Western leaders have ignored the statements. On Sunday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed to continue supporting Kiev militarily to “strengthen their hand in both the war and any future negotiations.”
The G7 leaders appear to have agreed to maintain economic pressure on Russia as it continues its offensive in Ukraine. The British government earlier announced that during the summit the US, UK, Canada, and Japan would ban the import of Russian gold. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken later claimed that the embargo would deprive Moscow of around $19 billion in annual revenue.
According to Reuters, the G7 is also holding “very constructive” talks about a potential cap on the price of Russian oil imports.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz admitted on Sunday that the Western world is now facing many challenges: falling growth rates, rising inflation, shortages of raw materials and disruption of supply chains. However, he expressed confidence that the G7 “will succeed in sending a very clear signal of unity and decisive action from this summit.”
His remarks were echoed by US President Joe Biden, who claimed that while Russian President Vladimir Putin had been hoping “that somehow NATO and the G7 would splinter,” they haven’t done so and are not going to.
Putin, meanwhile, spoke about the G7 on Friday, claiming that the current economic turmoil around the globe has little to do with the conflict in Ukraine and is the result of “many years of irresponsible macroeconomic policies” adhered to by its members.
