Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Luigi Di Maio called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop the war in Ukraine and liberalize wheat exports to avoid devastating consequences.

Di Maio said during his visit to the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa that “in order to avoid the dramatic situation caused by the food crisis, specific measures are needed on the part of Russia, it is necessary that Putin put an end to the war and lift the embargo on grain exports. The consequences of this double war are devastating.”

The head of Italian diplomacy pointed out that “talking about a wheat war is not to feed false fears, but rather to be realistic about the prospect of what might happen; anomalous upheavals, social tensions, new wars in Africa and new flows of illegal migrants. towards Italy. In addition, the next few weeks will be decisive.”

“To resolve this situation, Italy will continue to be at the forefront of finding solutions that can ensure the food security of the countries most vulnerable to the crisis, starting with African countries,” Di Maio stressed.