Food insecurity being weaponized by Russia, warns Republican lawmaker: It's a way to 'terrorize people'

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Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, discusses how Russia is weaponizing food insecurity

Ernst reveals the dangers of food insecurity, and how the United States can partner with allies to prevent it being weaponized.

Sen. Joni Ernst warned about the potential for and dangers of food insecurity being weaponized, noting that Russia has already done so throughout its invasion of Ukraine. 

"We saw this with the burning of fields in Ukraine… We have seen it with the stealing of grain by Russian soldiers and taking that and exporting it into Russia to feed their own population," Ernst told Fox News Digital at the Aspen Security Forum. "So they are already weaponizing food and creating instability in certain countries." 

In June, local reports revealed that thousands of acres of grain in Ukraine had been burned due to Russian shelling. 

Ukraine is often referred to as the world’s breadbasket, and accounted for 10% of global wheat exports in 2021, according to the United Nations.  Following Russia’s invasion of the country, Ukraine’s ports suspended activities, and the U.N. has estimated that approximately 20 million tons of harvested grain are stuck in Ukraine. 

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A picture taken on July 19, 2022 shows a burnt wheat field in the Ukrainian Kharkiv region, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  (SERGEY BOBOK/AFP via Getty Images)

"It’s a way to terrorize people in a very inhumane way that, maybe, most of the world doesn’t think about when it comes to wartime. They think about weapons and kinetic actions on a battlefield. But we have to think about these innocent populations and how they are supporting and sustaining their families." 

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Ernst said it was particularly important for the United States to partner with countries where it is difficult to grow food, and which are especially reliant on agricultural imports from countries like Ukraine. 

Thousands of protesters supporting Ukraine gathered in Washington, D.C. and demanded the Biden administration provide more help (Fox News Digital/Lisa Bennatan)

"There are many developing nations that just certainly don’t have the types of agriculture that you would find in Ukraine," she said. "So we really have to focus on those areas where it is extremely difficult to grow food. They are very reliant upon imports. So those are the countries that we should focus on and help stabilize, be a good partner to them."  

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Last week, Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement to begin grain exports from Ukraine, and Ukrainian officials have said that exports could leave Black Sea ports within days.

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) speaks during a press conference following the weekly Senate Republican policy luncheon in the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on Jan. 19, 2022 in Washington, DC.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Ernst called the deal a "good thing," drawing a connection between food insecurity and a rise in terrorism. 

"The grain exports that come out of [Ukraine] support many countries through the Middle East and Africa. And that’s where we do worry if there are food insecurities, then we’ll see the rise in terrorism," she said. 

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"So this will be good. We do not want to see millions of innocents starving."