Russia is weaponizing food with halt of Black Sea grain exports - Blinken

FILE PHOTO: Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (not pictured) and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken take part in a bilateral meeting, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada October 27, 2022. REUTERS/Blair Gable/Pool

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Russia's halting of its participation in the United Nations-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative grain deal is weaponizing food by exacerbating humanitarian crises, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Saturday.

"Any act by Russia to disrupt these critical grain exports is essentially a statement that people and families around the world should pay more for food or go hungry," Blinken said in a statement.

(Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Editing by William Mallard)