With Russia’s Invasion Leading to Global Food Security Concerns, Ernst, Marshall Host Ukrainian Leaders for Panel on the War and Its Impact on Agriculture
Ernst noted that approximately 400 million people are dependent on Ukraine and Russia for food, and that production this year will drop 40-45% in Ukraine.
WASHINGTON—Today, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) joined fellow member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), in hosting members of Ukrainian Civil Society, Dr. Hanna Hopko, Daria Kaleniuk, and Maria Berlinska for a discussion about Russia’s war in Ukraine and what it means for global food security and agriculture.
Click here or on the image above to watch the discussion.
For photos of the event, click here.
In her opening remarks, Ernst noted that approximately 400 million people are dependent on Ukraine and Russia for food, and that production this year will drop 40-45% in Ukraine due to the lack of availability of fertilizer, pesticides, and diesel fuel – which is being used by the military to fight the war. Ernst said that Russia was “using food as what we call a ‘quiet weapon’ and they are targeting agriculture.”
Ernst stated, “The best and quickest way to address the food security crisis is for Ukraine to win the war…they can win if the United States and if NATO properly equips them...”
Ernst and Marshall asked the members of Ukrainian Civil Society about the resources they need to win the war, how the war is impacting folks engaged in agriculture, and what’s happening on the ground in Ukraine as Russia attacks infrastructure, railways, and ports.
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