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UKRAINE

Italy urges Russia to end food blockage or risk killing ‘millions’

Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio warned on Wednesday that millions of people could die of hunger unless Russia unblocked Ukraine's ports, as he hosted talks among Mediterranean ministers on the food crisis.

Italy urges Russia to end food blockage or risk killing 'millions'
Millions in Ukraine could be 'condemned to death', warns Italy's Foreign Minister. Photo: Christophe ARCHAMBAULT / AFP)

“The next few weeks will be crucial to resolving the situation,” Di Maio said after a virtual meeting involving Turkey and Lebanon among other countries, as well as G7 president Germany and the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation.

“I want to say clearly, we expect clear and concrete signals from Russia, because blocking grain exports means holding hostage and condemning to death millions of children, women and men.”

READ ALSO: How Italy is housing Ukrainian refugees in seized mafia properties

Ships loaded with grain remain blocked in Ukraine, which before Russia’s February invasion was considered a global breadbasket as a leading exporter of corn, wheat and sunflower seeds.

Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib told the meeting that rises in the price of fuel and other basics were exacerbating the crisis in his country.

“The war in Ukraine must stop at any cost,” he said, adding that if it could not, “concerned parties… must be pressured to allow the safe export of grains and other commodities without any delay.

Explained: Why and how Italy will pay for Russian gas in rubles

“The world cannot continue to be at the mercy of military crises in Europe or other regions of the world.”

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UKRAINE

Italy warns against ‘rash’ moves over arms to Ukraine

Italy's foreign minister on Saturday reiterated his opposition to Ukraine using Italian weapons inside Russia, warning of a "delicate" situation where "rash" moves must be avoided.

Italy warns against 'rash' moves over arms to Ukraine

Support is growing among NATO allies for allowing Ukraine to use Western-donated weapons to strike inside Russian territory – but Rome, a founding member of the alliance, remains opposed.

“It is a very delicate moment, we must not make false steps” and must avoid “rash steps and declarations”, Antonio Tajani told a meeting in Rapallo, northwest Italy, according to the AGI and ANSA news agencies.

He added that “even the US has not authorised the indiscriminate use of its weapons against Russia, but only to strike a base from where the drones depart. They too are very cautious”, AGI reported.

Tajani added that Italy would send another package of aid to Ukraine within “weeks”.

But he repeated that “we will not send even one Italian soldier to fight in Ukraine because we are not at war with Russia”, AGI reported.

Germany said on Friday it had given Ukraine permission to fire German-delivered weapons at targets in Russia.

READ ALSO: Berlin allows Ukraine to fire German weapons at targets in Russia

The day before, US officials said Washington had partially lifted similar restrictions to allow Ukraine to defend its eastern Kharkiv region, which borders Russia.

The change in Washington’s thinking was attributed by US officials to Russia’s daily pounding of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second biggest city.

Russia fired a combined 100 missiles and drones at Ukraine overnight, in a barrage that targeted energy sites across the country, Ukrainian officials said on Saturday.

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