Ukraine accuses Russia of playing 'hunger games' by blocking its food exports

• Ukraine's foreign minister accused Russia of playing "hunger games" by blocking its food exports.
• The UN is trying to broker a "package deal" to restart flow of both Ukrainian and Russian exports.

Ukraine has accused Russia of "playing hunger games with the world" by blocking its food exports during its invasion of the country.

The country's foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted on Tuesday, accusing Moscow of playing "hunger games with the world by blocking Ukrainian food exports."

Ukraine is getting support from a UN-led operation "ensuring a safe trade route with no security ricks", he added.

—Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) May 31, 2022

According to the World Bank's latest commodity markets report, the war in Ukraine has spurred the biggest price shock in nearly 50 years, spurring a global food crisis.

Millions of tons of grain are stuck in Ukraine as the ongoing invasion by Russia prevents safe transit from the country's ports, while sanctions on Russia have deterred Western countries from trading with the country.

Senior UN official Rebecca Grynspan had "constructive discussions" in Moscow with Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov in Moscow to persuade Russia to reopen its grain and fertilizer exports, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a press briefing on Tuesday.

The talks "focused on facilitating Russian grain and fertilizers to global markets with the key aim of addressing the growing global food insecurity," he added.

The UN is trying to put together a "package deal" to restart the flow of both Ukrainian food exports and Russian food and fertilizer exports.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US Ambassador to the UN, has proposed giving "comfort letters" to shipping and insurance companies to encourage them to facilitate Russian exports of grain and fertilizer, which have not been sanctioned by the US.

On Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the blockade of Ukraine's ports under a UN resolution that would remove mines there so exports can resume, Radio Free Europe reported.

Russia said last week it would allow ships carrying food to leave Ukrainian ports if some sanctions were lifted.