EU High Representative Josep Borrell told G20 participants on July 8, 2022, that Russia's war against Ukraine was worsening interconnected global food and energy crises.
He cited an increase in severe food insecurity from 135 million people before the pandemic to 323 million and warned that 1.2 billion people were vulnerable to rising food and energy costs and tightening financial conditions. The pandemic and other pressures preceded the war; the invasion aggravated them.
Borrell argued that the blockade of Ukrainian grain exports was harming vulnerable countries. He said EU sanctions did not target Russian agricultural products or fertilisers.
He outlined EU action on solidarity, production, trade and multilateral cooperation, including more than €7 billion for global food security by 2024 and alternative export routes through the Solidarity Lanes initiative. He also advocated faster clean-energy deployment and diversified supplies.
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