That’s according to the European Union’s top diplomat Josep Borrell Fontelles who has issued some of the strongest words yet on the global food crisis that has been developing since Russia invaded Ukraine in February. Before the war, Ukraine was a major exporter of grain, cooking oil and fertiliser, but after Russia created a naval blockade in the Black Sea – Ukraine’s only shipping route – the country has been unable to get it off the docks. This has been a major factor in soaring global food prices and rising concerns about widespread hunger, particularly in Africa, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called “a hostage” of Russia’s war. Russian President Vladimir Putin says he will lift the blockade if Western sanctions are lifted.