World News Presentation

By - Mike
Newspaper Article Topic: The ripple
effects of Russia’s war in Ukraine are
changing the world
Author: Alina Selyukh
Date of Article: May 10, 2022 5:01
AM ET
Introduction
We are witnessing the largest act of aggression in Europe since World War II. On
February 24th Russian president Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale military invasion of
Ukraine, a sovereign nation. The UN estimates more than a million people have fled,
they’re crossing the border into neighboring countries like Poland and Romania.
Countries around the world, including the United States, are imposing significant
sanctions against Russia. They’re also providing arms to Ukraine, but no troops. Today I
am trying to explain in detail what backlash the world has obtained from this event. To
fully understand what’s happening now, I am going to elaborate on what happened in
the past leading up to this moment. The Russia-Ukraine conflict is deeply rooted in
history. Far from Russia’s war in Ukraine, stores are running out of cooking oil, rising the
price range of crude oil, people are paying more at the gas pump, farmers are
scrambling to buy fertilizer and nations are rethinking alliances. Russia’s invasion of
Ukraine has triggered major seismic repercussions, having a fast-moving refugee crisis,
unprecedented sanctions against a major economy, and a shakeup of global
relationships, including a reinvigorated NATO. To fully understand what's happening
now, we need to understand what happened in the past leading up to this moment. The
Russia-Ukraine conflict is deeply rooted in history.

● Food And Economy

It is stated that Ukraine and Russia are key exporters of wheat, barley, corn, and
cooking oil, particularly for African and Middle Eastern countries. Although that is true
Russia is also a major producer of fertilizer and petroleum products, which has an effect
on other countries trading with Russia, which a majority have branched out trading with
Russia, and disruption to the flow of these goods is compounding other supply chain
and climate challenges, driving up food and gas prices, causing shortages and pushing
millions of people into hunger, which is a major issue affecting the world economy.

● Decline in Global Food Availability

In the world today Ukraine is known as the breadbasket of Europe, and Russia and
Ukraine have both become major food exporters in recent years. In 2020 these two
countries accounted for one-third of the world’s wheat trade and one-quarter of the
world’s barley trade. Ukraine alone has exported about 15 percent of the world’s maize,
including half of all sunflower oil traded globally. From the research I have done, I
believe that Two likely consequences of the ongoing crisis are reduced exports from
Ukraine due to disrupted production and trade, and reduced exports from Russia, due to
economic sanctions designed to harm the Russian economy. Commercial exports from
major ports in Ukraine like Odesa have already been suspended. Considering that fact
there will be less wheat, maize, barley, and cooking oil available on world markets for
the foreseeable future. This is unfortunate considering the stake Ukraine is in. This
situation turned out to be more of an issue, due to the fact that 50 countries depend on
Russia and Ukraine for 30 percent or more of their wheat. Many of these are
low-income food-deficit countries in North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia - such as
Bangladesh, Egypt, Nigeria, Sudan, and Yemen, which is currently on the brink of
famine.

● Rising Food Prices

The reduced food supplies will cause food prices to rise. This is in addition to the fact
that food prices were already rising before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In February, the
Food Price Index reached a new all-time high, partly due to a recovery in global demand
post-COVID-19, and partly reflecting expectations of imminent disruptions to wheat and
maize exports from Russia and Ukraine.

Even things such as rising oil, gas, and petrol prices are affecting the food price, at an
unprecedented level, driving food price inflation even further, since food and fuel price
movements tend to track each other closely. Because poor households spend a higher
proportion of their income on food, higher food prices will affect low-income consumers
and low-income countries worse. Other foods such as bread prices are already rising in
countries around the world. In Iraq, poor communities already staged protests about
food prices in early March following spikes in the prices of flour and cooking oil in local
markets, which officials attributed to the conflict in Ukraine.

● Food Production Declines In Low-Income Countries

Unfortunately for the world, Russia is the largest global exporter of fertilizers and
fertilizer ingredients such as potash, ammonia, urea, and natural gas for making
nitrogen-based fertilizers. On 2 February, Russia suspended its exports of fertilizer,
ostensibly to protect its farmers. Belarus is also a major exporter of potash fertilizer. On
2 March, the European Union sanctioned Belarus for supporting Russia’s invasion of
Ukraine. These sanctions included a ban on all imports of potash from Belarus. The
result of Russia invading Ukraine has led to dozens of countries depending heavily on
imports of nitrogen and potassium fertilizers from Russia and Belarus. Many of these
are low-income countries that import large amounts of fertilizer, such as Brazil, India,
the United States, and much of Western Europe. Fertilizer prices in the United State
have already jumped by 10 percent. Food production could therefore be compromised
in many countries across the world.

● How bad will it get?

From all the information gathered, I can see how badly global food security will be
affected depending on several things that are not yet known at this time. For now, we
are left with several short and longer-term questions - many of which governments and
global leaders should be considering as part of food security crisis preparation and
response. It is unknown if sanctions will be applied against Ukrainian exports if Russia
eventually assumes power over Ukraine.

● Displaced People
From the research done on Ukraine, I have discovered that more than 5.8 million people
have fled Ukraine in one of the fastest-growing refugee crises in recent history.
Humanitarian groups, with resources all ready strained by crises elsewhere, have
sprung into action. The U.N refugee agency has projected that some 8.3 million people
might leave Ukraine and called for more financial support for refugees and host
countries as both face challenges with access to food, housing, transportation,
education, and money.

1. Romania
The country has admitted more than 880,000 Yjraubuab refugees, mostly women, and
children.

1. United States
The United States has pledged to admit up to 100,00 Ukrainians and others displaced
by the war, creating a new program for Ukrainian refugees to come directly to the U.S.
with support from a U.S-based sponsor.

1. Poland
More than half of Ukrainian refugees have arrived in Poland, here more than 3.2 million
people, almost double the population of the capital Warsaw. The country lifted limits on
classroom sizes, as the number of potential new students could reach 700,000

1. Afghanistan
The war in Ukraine has diverted attention from the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan,
where aid resources were already strained. Spiking food and fuel prices are
exacerbating starvation and poverty. In Europe, Afghan refugees contrast their asylum
experience to that of Ukrainian refugees. It was even stated, that some Afghans say
“they had to move to make space for newly arriving Ukrainian refugees.”

1. Georgia
Around 30,000 Russians arrived here in the early weeks of the Ukraine invasion, many
fleeing Moscow’s new laws cracking down on anti-war expression

1. Hungary
Historically averse to large waves of foreign asylum-seekers, Hungary has admitted
more than 560,000 Ukrainian refugees

1. Moldova
One of Europe’s poorest countries has received the most Ukrainian refugees per capita,
nearing 460,000 or almost one-sixth of Moldova’s population.

● Geopolitics
A 21st-century war in Europe, led by nuclear power, is pushing the world toward a
potentially profound realignment. It has rattled prominent global players such as the
European Union and the United Nations and forced countries to take sides in new ways
that have led to escalating tensions and momentous diplomatic shifts. The two countries
became hostile after the 2014 Ukrainian Revolution of Dignity.

1. China
The country finds itself in a delicate diplomatic spot, forced to balance its warming ties
with Moscow against international pressure to denounce the Kremlin’s military
adventurism. About three weeks before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, China declared a
“no-limits partnership” with Russia. Moscow now hopes to offset some Western
sanctions with more economic ties to China

1. Georgia
Georgia has applied to join the European Union. Meanwhile, its breakaway region of
South Ossetia, subject of the Russia-Georgia war in 2008, says it will hold a referendum
on joining the Russian Federation.

1. Sweden
After decades of military non-alliance, Sweden is weighing a decision to join NATO.

1. Moldova
Ukraine’s neighbor and one of Europe’s poorest countries have applied to join the
European Union, hoping for security guarantees.
 1. Israel
Israel has staked a position as a potential mediator between Russia and Ukraine, as its
prime minister has maintained close ties with both countries' presidents in a failed bid to
broker a peace deal. Israel has admitted thousands of both Ukrainian refugees and
Russians fleeing their government.

1. Japan
In response to Japan’s sanctions, Russia pulled out of long-running talks with Tokyo to
formally end hostilities from World War II. This included a negotiation over four islands,
known as the Southern Kurils in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan.

1. Brazil
Brazil maintains neutrality in the Russia-Ukraine war as the agricultural exporter
depends on imports of fertilizers, with Russia its top supplier.

1. Taiwan
The self-governing island is rethinking its defense posture as its residents nervously
watch the war. China claims Taiwan as its territory, as Russia does parts of the Ukraine.
Taiwanese worry that China might one day invade, and wonder whether the U.S. would
come to their defense.

1. India
The world’s biggest democracy has bristled at Western pressure to join anti-Russian
sanctions and continues to buy Russian oil and weapons. India has long had friendly
ties with Russia and wants to avoid alienating Moscow, in part because it fears pushing
Russia closer to China. India has condemned civilian killings in Ukraine but has not
denounced Russia’s invasion

1. Iran
The war in Ukraine rattled negotiations over Iran's nuclear deal, which involved the U.S,
Europe, China, and Russia.

1. Turkey
Meanwhile, the country positions itself as a bridge between Russia and Europe,
condemning Russia's aggression against Ukraine but not joining Western sanctions,
and hosting Ukraine-Russia peace talks. Sanctions loom over Russia’s construction of a
$20 billion nuclear power plant in Turkey. Turkey relies on Russian oil and gas imports,
as well as both Russian and Ukrainian tourism and food supplies.
 ● Relations
A situation between the Russian Federation and Ukraine, following the Ukrainian
revolution of Dignity in 2014, Ukraine was occupied by unknown Russian forces and
later implemented conditions, while Russia’s separatists simultaneously engaged the
Ukrainian military, these events marked the beginning of the Russia vs Ukrainian War.

● Impacts of the beginning of the war

In a major escalation of the conflict on 24 February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale
invasion of Ukraine, across a broad front, causing Ukraine to sever all formal diplomatic
ties with Russia. Rewind to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. In the successor
states, bilateral relations have undergone periods of ties, tensions, and outright hostility.
In the early 1990s, Ukraine’s policy was dominated by aspirations to ensure its
sovereignty and independence, followed by a foreign policy that balanced cooperation
with the European Union (EU), Russia, and other powerful polities.

● Energy
Russia is the second largest producer of natural gas and the third-largest producer of
oil. Having the European Union particularly depend on Russia's energy, it is now
preparing to phase in an oil embargo. A historic restructuring is sweeping the global
petroleum and gas trade as countries ban or cut Russian energy imports, sanction
Russian companies, face Russia’s demands for payments in rubles and search for
alternative sources of energy.

● Security
Russia has more nuclear weapons than any other country in the world. Its military attack
on Ukraine has notably reenergized NATIO, a military and political alliance of the United
States and European countries. Urgently, countries around the world have escalated
military spending or have begun a consequential reevaluation of their defenses.

● Conclusion
In conclusion, I believe, Russia is in the wrong, causing issues affecting nations globally
across the world, It is confirmed that Ukraine, having a thousand troops have died,
billions of dollars in military hardware wasted and entire cities subjected to relentless
bombardment, and more than four months on, Russia’s fierce military campaign in
Ukraine continues unabated. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has warned it
could last for years, while Western intelligence agencies have reportedly said Russia’s
combat capabilities could be depleted in the coming months. Although all these facts
are true, moreover I believe that the situation could come to a conclusion and resolve, if
opposite parties can find a middle ground to deal with the situation.
https://www.wfp.org/news/war-ukraine-pushes-middle-east-and-north-africa-deep
er-hunger-food-prices-reach-alarming-highs

https://www.grid.news/story/global/2022/06/23/russia-created-a-global-food-crisis
-by-invading-ukraine-heres-what-can-be-done-to-stop-millions-from-starving/

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/07/russian-invasion-ukraine-dem
ocracy-changes/661451/