A vendor sorts packs of grains displayed for sale at a food market, which operates once a week on Saturday, in the Russian southern city of Stavropol March 14, 2015. Russia's economy has slowed sharply in recent months as a collapse in oil prices and Western sanctions over the Ukraine crisis have dragged on growth. REUTERS/Eduard Korniyenko (RUSSIA - Tags: BUSINESS SOCIETY FOOD) - GM1EB3F07YK01
New York [US], March 18 (ANI/Sputnik): The United States and Europe should not forget to provide food assistance to all countries in need rather than focus solely on Ukraine, World Food Program Executive Director David Beasley said on Friday.
“I am trying to wake up Europeans and the US: why are you focusing on Ukraine? Please do not neglect the Sahel, please do not neglect Syria, Jordan, Lebanon. If you do, the consequences will be catastrophic,” Beasley said during a virtual conversation at the International Monetary Fund.
Beasley warned that the crisis in Ukraine amid Russia’s special operation may have a “ripple effect” that is expected to be substantial.
The World Food Program should develop new strategies and supply chains in order to avoid additional problems, Beasley said. “Is it fair for us to take food from hungry children to get to children in Ukraine? No. We do not put us in that position. The last thing I want to do is to take grain that is not in Ukraine and have to bring it into Ukraine,” he said. (ANI/Sputnik)
