Bou Habib says 'Ukraine war must stop' in virtual meeting over food crisis

Lebanon's Foreign Affairs Minister Abdallah Bou Habib warned Wednesday that rises in fuel and basic food stuffs were exacerbating the crisis in Lebanon.

"The war in Ukraine must stop at any cost," he said in a virtual meeting hosted by Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio over the global food crisis.

He added that if it could not, "concerned parties... must be pressured to allow the safe export of grains and other commodities without any delay. 

The meeting involved Mediterranean ministers, alongside G7 president Germany and the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization.

"The world cannot continue to be at the mercy of military crises in Europe or other regions of the world," Bou Habib said.

Di Maio warned for his part that millions of people could die of hunger unless Russia unblocked Ukraine's ports.

"The next few weeks will be crucial to resolving the situation," he said.

"I want to say clearly, we expect clear and concrete signals from Russia, because blocking grain exports means holding hostage and condemning to death millions of children, women and men."

Ships loaded with grain remain blocked in Ukraine, which before Russia's February invasion was considered a global breadbasket as a leading exporter of corn, wheat and sunflower seeds.