According to EU diplomatic chief Josep Borrell, the events in Ukraine "threaten a global wave of hunger," and the EU is ready to work with the UN to prevent a food disaster.

"I assured all my interlocutors that we are ready to work with the UN and partners in preventing any unwanted impacts of our sanctions on global food security. We are in close contact with the UN to look into issues such as market avoidance and over compliance which could affect purchases of Russian grain or fertilisers," the EU high representative for foreign affairs wrote in a blog post Saturday.

European sanctions do not apply to these exports, he said.

"We are ready to work with the UN and partners to prevent any unwanted impacts of our sanctions on global food security," Borrell said in an article published on his official blog.

At the same time, he acknowledged that even before the Russian operation in Ukraine, positions in the global fight against hunger were being lost. But the Ukrainian conflict, Borrel believes, has made the situation much worse.

"Food prices, that were already affected by the pandemic and climate change, have never been as high as today in real terms and many experts warn that the worst is yet to come," the European diplomatic chief noted.

As Borrell wrote,"It is therefore imperative to allow Ukrainian exports by ship to resume."