The President of Ukraine said yesterday that trade in the country's ports has stalled and called on the international community to take immediate steps to end the Russian blockade, which will allow wheat supplies to be pushed forward to prevent a global food crisis. Reuters, informs BTA.

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Vladimir Zelensky made these comments after speaking with European Council President Charles Michel, who was visiting Odessa, a major Black Sea port from which agricultural products are exported.

"For the first time in decades, there is no regular merchant fleet movement in Odessa, no routine port work. This probably did not happen in Odessa since World War II," Zelensky said in a video address.

"And this is a blow not only against Ukraine. Without our agricultural exports, dozens of countries in different parts of the world are already on the brink of food shortages. And over time, the situation could become, frankly, frightening," he added.

"Immediate measures must be taken to unblock Ukrainian ports for the export of wheat," Zelensky wrote earlier in his channel in the Telegram.

He did not specify what measures he wanted to be taken.

NATO countries, including the United States, have ruled out armed intervention for fear of provoking a more widespread war, Reuters reported.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine