00:01Europe fears a devastating crisis with ripple effects could erupt as Russia's war in Ukraine
00:08imposes a new blockade on the Black Sea, choking off a vital trade route.
00:13The sense of alarm came to the fore during a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Ireland,
00:18marked by calls for an immediate ceasefire in the region.
00:22In the Black Sea, Russian strikes on grain ships could cause another worldwide food security shock.
00:30We support Ukraine's grain experts through alternative transit routes.
00:35We are also looking to support storage inside Ukraine to protect global food security.
00:41But there is no substitute for the volumes that can move by sea.
00:45I support the initiatives for a moratorium on Black Sea attacks.
00:49Since July, Moscow has ramped up attacks on Ukraine's ports and vessels in the Black Sea,
00:56severely hampering its ability to sell grain to global clients.
01:00The escalation has coincided with the peak of the harvest season in Ukraine
01:04and left scores of maize, barley and wheat piling up inside the country.
01:10Before the renewed strikes, Ukraine exported 6 million tonnes of agricultural and steel products every month via three ports.
01:18Now, it trades about 4.5 million tonnes via alternative routes as operators remain hesitant to undertake the dangerous sea
01:26voyage.
01:27The Black Sea blockade also has global risks.
01:30A scarcity of sea rolls could drive inflation in developing countries,
01:34fuel popular discontent and encourage migration towards Europe.
01:38Migration has long been one of Europe's most contentious issues,
01:43but the debate has grown even more heated since the crisis in Souta
01:48when more than 8,000 people crossed the border from Morocco.
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