A top Ukrainian minister said Russia has sowed winter crops for this year’s harvest in parts of occupied Ukraine claimed by President Vladimir Putin as Russian territory. Officials also said Russia is blocking the safe passage of Ukrainian shipments of food and fertilizer under the Black Sea grain export deal. At the United Nations, spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric confirmed Russia has recently imposed a “continuous slowdown” at Black Sea ports.

Stéphane Dujarric: “This is a very serious situation. We need to move forward. The initiative is bound for renewal on 17 July. Global hunger hot spots are increasing, as we’ve been notifying you on a regular basis. And the specter of food inflation and market volatility lurks in all countries.”