According to Josep Borrell, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, 323 million people are on the brink of starvation because of the global food crisis exacerbated by Russia's war in Ukraine. Borrell said this at the G20 ministerial meeting in Indonesia.

Participants at the G20 meeting supported Russia's demand to unblock grain exports from Ukraine.

"Russia's invasive war against Ukraine is sharply exacerbating the food crisis. In just two years, the number of people in the world facing severe food shortages has doubled from 135 million before the COVID-19 pandemic to 276 million in early 2022 and 323 million today," he said.

The European diplomatic chief added that a total of 1.2 billion people worldwide, or one in six people on Earth, are vulnerable because of "a combination of rising food prices, rising energy prices and deteriorating financial conditions."

"The situation could worsen. Russia is blocking 20 million tons of grain in Ukrainian storage facilities. This is a conscious attempt to use food as a weapon of war not only against Ukraine, but also against the most vulnerable countries in the world," Borrell added.