According to the Morning Sentinel (June 9), the world may be in for a global food shortage. The reason this might happen is because Ukraine cannot export its millions of tons of wheat, about 25% of the world’s wheat.
Why can’t Ukraine export its wheat? Because they are at war with Russia. Today, Ukraine is a democracy, not a satellite of Russia. Ukraine is an independent nation. Ukraine has exported wheat for years through their ports on the Black Sea. Though Russia is occupying much of Ukraine’s coastline, Russia does not control Odessa, Ukraine’s major exporting hub. However, this area is now being blockaded by Russian ships. Russia is holding the world hostage by this blockade. Russia does not own Ukraine nor does it own the Black Sea. All shipping enters the Black Sea through the Bosporus Straits controlled by Turkey and Turkey is a member of NATO.
Why can’t NATO naval ships escort freighters into the Black Sea and to Ukraine to enable the freighters to pick up the Ukrainian wheat and food stuffs and deliver them to world markets? If this cannot be done because of Russian interference, perhaps it’s time for NATO to block the Bosporus Straits and prevent Russian ships from entering or leaving the Black Sea.
Russia has no right to stop the export of Ukrainian wheat. If Russia has the right to be in the Black Sea, so does NATO and its ships. Regardless of how we may feel about the Russia war in Ukraine, we cannot allow 25% of the world’s wheat to sit and rot and let the world starve. The world has to play its hand in this crisis now.
Bob Richard
Fairfield
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