PM says Russia risks global food security in Ukraine

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has warned that Russia is stepping up attacks connected Ukrainian ports successful the Black Sea – delaying the export of cultivation produce, including assistance intended for Palestinians caught up successful the struggle with Israel.

During several days of strikes successful aboriginal October, Russian weapons deed astatine slightest 4 cargo ships, including 1 reportedly carrying 6,000 tonnes of corn.

Sir Keir said that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin was consenting “to gamble connected planetary nutrient information successful his attempts to unit Ukraine into submission”.

The premier minister's remarks came arsenic helium travels to the Pacific Island of Samoa for a gathering of Commonwealth heads of government.

During respective days of strikes, Russian rocket strikes connected the Odesa portion deed a Panamanian-registered vessel and a Palau-flagged cargo vessel were besides attacked, sidesplitting 1 idiosyncratic on-board.

Several radical successful the confederate metropolis of Zaporizhzhia were injured arsenic 29 homes were destroyed and pictures released by determination officials amusement a elephantine crater successful the mud, with bricks and wood strewn each around.

A question of strikes connected Ukraine's Black Sea ports coincided with a European circuit by President Volodymyr Zelensky - who visited leaders successful London, Paris, Rome and Berlin.

But Sir Keir pointed retired the expanding fig of Russian attacks coincided with harvest season.

Despite the war, Ukraine is inactive a important supplier of cultivation goods.

But British quality suggests a maturation successful what officials telephone Russian "risk appetite” erstwhile attacking Ukrainian ports – with atom ships becoming what is described arsenic “collateral damage” successful Russia’s campaign.

Sir Keir said the “indiscriminate attacks” were “harming millions of susceptible radical crossed Africa, Asia and the Middle East”.

According to Ukrainian figures, much than 20 civilian ships person present been damaged successful Russian attacks since the commencement of the warfare successful 2022.

Grain silos and different larboard infrastructure person been severely damaged too.

However, Ukraine has succeeded successful creating a maritime corridor to guarantee the information of atom exports, aft Moscow pulled retired of a Black Sea atom woody past year.

Some 962,000 tonnes of atom were exported successful the archetypal 10 days of October, according to the agriculture ministry successful Kyiv - treble the measurement shipped successful the aforesaid play past year.

Speaking to journalists travelling with him to Samoa, Sir Keir said Russia’s recent recruitment of troops from North Korea was “an embarrassing and hopeless act.

On Tuesday, the British authorities announced that it would springiness Ukraine an other £2.26bn utilizing the profits from Russian assets held successful Europe.

The one-off outgo is an summation to £3bn already pledged by the authorities to money Ukraine’s warfare effort.

So far, the UK has fixed much than £12bn successful subject assistance and has promised to lucifer that level of enactment successful the future.

Announcing the funding, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said it showed the UK's enactment for Ukraine was "unwavering and volition stay for arsenic agelong arsenic it takes".