Dem Rep. Meeks: Putin’s War Might Cause People to Starve in America

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) said Monday on MSNBC’s “All In” that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could cause people to starve in the United States.

Meeks said, “Time is of the essence. We have the pass this $33 billion immediately. Look, as President Zelensky said, he’s not only fighting for the sovereignty of Ukraine. We know, and we can see, that it is the intent of Putin to move on to the Baltic States, to Moldova to Georgia, and not to stop there. And others are watching what takes place. Let me tell you something else that’s critical. This is why it’s important to all of us around the world. People will starve.”

He continued, “The House Foreign Affairs Committee that I chair we are going to do a briefing soon on the cause of this war. What people and starvation that may be on the line? What Putin is doing is blocking the Black Sea. Ukraine exports over 50% of the world’s cereals. They produce wheat, corn that people around the world are dependent upon. They cannot harvest their crops and get it out. So you see already, prices have gone up all over the world, almost 14% in the last month alone. 20% from the beginning of the year.”

Meeks added, “Folks will starve. We are going to have David Beasley from the World Food Organization for the UN come to brief us on what’s at stake. We talk about here at home. The prices are going up, and inflation. There is a direct connection  — if you talk to any economist —  a direct connection between Putin, this war, and this blockades that can have people starving in Africa, in Central and South America, and indeed even right here in the United States of America.”

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