Ukraine Pres. accuses Russia of “weaponizing” food, energy

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, of Ukraine, said Tuesday Russia's weaponization of food and energy impacted all countries of the world.

In his address to the General Debate of the UN General Assembly's 78th session, Zelenskyy said that since the start of the war, Ukraine's ports in the Black and Azov seas had been blocked by Russia and its ports on the Danube River had been targeted by Russian drones and missiles.

"It is a clear Russian attempt to weaponize the food shortage on the global market, in exchange for recognition of some, if not all, of the captured territories," he stressed, noting that the impact of that weaponization could be seen from Africa to South-East Asia.

"Nukes are not the scariest thing now. Mass destruction is gaining momentum. The aggressor is weaponizing many other things -- things that are being used not only against our country but also yours as well.

""There are many conventions against weapons but none against weaponization -- of global food supplies and energy," the Ukrainian president explained.

While Russia undermines the Black Sea Initiative, Ukraine continues to support it to ensure food security globally, having launched a temporary sea corridor from its ports and working to preserve land routes for grain exports, he went on.

President Zelenskyy accused Russia of conducting mass kidnapping and deportation of Ukrainian children, which is "a clear case of genocide." The Ukrainian leader also said that he will present a Ukrainian peace formula at the Security Council on Wednesday to serve as a framework to end aggression on terms set by the victimized country in an open manner. Urging unity among countries President Zelenskyy said that while Russia is "pushing the world to the final war", Ukraine is doing everything to ensure that after this Russian aggression, "no one in the world will dare to attack any nation." "Every nation must be restrained, war crimes must be punished, deported people must come back home, and the occupier must return to their own land," he added.

Source: Kuwait News Agency

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