During a press conference Thursday, President Biden said that a food shortage is “going to be real” after the sanctions that were placed on Russia by the U.S. government.
While at a NATO summit in Brussels, Belgium, Biden met with other world leaders. “With regard to food shortage, yes we did talk about food shortages, and it’s gonna be real,” he said during the conference.
“The price of the sanctions is not just imposed upon Russia,” he added. “It’s imposed upon an awful lot of countries as well, including European countries and our country as well”.
Biden explained that “Russia and Ukraine have been the breadbasket of Europe in terms of wheat” and noted that he and other leaders had a “long discussion in the G7” on the need to “increase and disseminate” food production.
“In addition to that, we talked about urging all the European countries, and everyone else, to end trade … limitations on sending food abroad,” he continued.
“And, so, we are in the process of working out with our European friends what it would take to help alleviate the concerns relative to the food shortages,” the president added.
Earlier this week, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the U.S. is unlikely to face a food shortage.
“While we’re not expecting a food shortage here at home, we do anticipate that higher energy, fertilizer, wheat, and corn prices could impact the price of growing and purchasing critical fuel supply, food supplies for countries around the world,” she said.
Many Twitter users have pointed out that, in 2020, Biden claimed “We don’t have a food shortage problem, we have a leadership problem. We have plenty of food. It’s being plowed under”.