Judy: At the united nations
security council today, the U.S.
Accused Russia of using food as
a weapon in its war against
Ukraine and in turn creating a
global food security crisis.
Ukraine grows enough food to
feed 400 million people and
Russia and Ukraine together
account for one third of the
worlds wheat exports.
Russia's invasion and its
blockade of Ukrainian ports are
preventing Ukraine from
exporting its grain and steel.
Nick schifrin recently witnessed
this in southern Ukraine.
Reporter: Ukraine's largest
steel plant still faces a risk
of Russian airstrikes.
In March, the plant had to close
for the first time since world
War II but now workers are back.
The plant offers every step in
the process to produce 6 million
tons of steel per year.
This is known as the foundry
yard.
This creates what is known as
pig iron and that becomes steel
appeared before the war, the
plant was one of Ukraine's
against employers and largest
exporters.
The war has cut production here
in half and up blocked the
company's traditional routes to
the Middle East and Africa says
the chief administrative
officer.
>> The main export route for us
was the ports of the black sea.
Now, the ports are closed so we
cannot use them.
Reporter: Odessa is Ukraine's
largest port and it has avoided
a Russian erect assault.
A blockade has forced companies
to ship via trains.
>> It takes more time.
It makes it more costly.
Reporter: How important is it to
get these new supply lines going
for the future of Ukraine?
>> It is the critical in -- it
is the critical industry of
Ukraine, one of the cornerstones
of the economy.
Reporter: Another cornerstone,
agriculture.
Ukraine is one of the largest
exporters of wheat, corn, and
oil but the breadbasket is
scarred.
The U.S. And Ukraine are
accusing Russia.
Russia has even fired at farmers
and tractors.
Ukraine says what Russia does
not target it steals.
Trucks with tons of Ukrainian
green have been moved to Russian
occupied territory.
In farming villages, occupied
and destroyed by Russian troops,
farmers have lost their
livelihoods and many of the
animals they sold to survive.
>> They shelled us with high
explosive projectile which
immediately began to burn.
The piglets and calves were
screaming and were roasted
alive.
Reporter: The Russian government
seems to believe that using food
as a weapon will accomplish what
it's invasion has not, to break
the spirit of the Ukrainian
people.
The security council session
about the war on mobile food
access.
The secretary-general is
negotiating with Moscow to lift
the blockade but there has been
no progress.
The food supply for millions of
Ukrainians and millions more
around the world has quite
literally been held hostage by
the Russian military.
>> This war is having effect on
global supplies and prices
around the world.
Reporter: Platelet -- Caitlin
Welch is from the center for
strategic and international
studies and she says the war
exacerbated an already high
global food prices.
>> The countries that are net
food importing countries consume
large amounts of wheat and rely
on the black sea for imports are
particularly affected.
Reporter: What is the solution
short of somehow figuring out
how to end the Russian black sea
blockade?
>> The solution is to end the
war.
Even if it were to end today, it
would take time and investment
to bring Ukraine to its prewar
levels of agricultural activity.
Reporter: The world's largest
exporter of wheat and fertilizer
is Russia.
>> We have deliberately not
sanctioned Russia's food and
fertilizer exports for global
food security reasons.
It is important to keep Russian
agricultural products on
markets.
Reporter: And Ukraine, despite
the threats come farmers are
planting the harvest for now,
the experts that have long hoped
feed war will be trapped by the
war that has no end in sight.
Judy: Our coverage of the war in
Ukraine is supported in
partnership with the pulitzer
center.