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Ralph Goodale attends a press conference at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa on Aug 6, 2019.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press

Ralph Goodale, Canada’s high commissioner to the United Kingdom, is accusing Vladimir Putin of “depravity” for denying hungry people in African countries and other developing countries access to grain from Ukraine.

In remarks Wednesday in London, Mr. Goodale says Russian troops have stopped grain exports from Ukraine, denying hungry people the food they need to survive.

He says the Russians are also stealing farm supplies and equipment and blockading ports, with deadly implications for African countries and other countries.

Ukraine is one of the world’s biggest exporters of wheat and sunflower oil, with developing countries in the Middle East and Africa among its biggest customers.

He says Ukraine had a pretty good grain crop last year and would normally be shipping its crops to feed people in Africa and elsewhere.

The high commissioner says Canada, the world’s third largest exporter of wheat, is looking at how it can fill the gap and provide emergency food.

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