© 2026 ABC News

Russia and Ukraine are mass producers of wheat and grain. Power said Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East may rely on upwards of 80% to 90% of wheat and grain imports from the countries at war.

Not only are there food shortages globally, but there is also a growing demand for fertilizer from farmers looking to protect their crops.

\"Fertilizer shortages are real now because Russia is a big exporter of fertilizer. And even though fertilizer is not sanctioned, less fertilizer is coming out of Russia,\" Power said. \"As a result, we're working with countries to think about natural solutions like manure and compost. And this may hasten transitions that would have been in the interest of farmers to make eventually anyway.\"

Stephanopoulos pressed: \"Listening to you lay out these consequences, it's hard not to conclude that in some respects this has already become something of a world war.\"

\"Certainly in terms of effects, not confined to the horrors that the Ukrainian people are suffering,\" Power responded.

Power pushed back on the idea that high food prices are due to the Biden administration's sanctions on Russia, saying instead it's the result of Russia's \"unwillingness now to come to the negotiating table.\"

\"That is what is causing these cascading effects,\" she said, \"so we want to meet those effects, but continue to ensure that that pressure is put on the Russian Federation through economic sanctions and through the security assistance so that they finally negotiate a peace.\"

Power, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said Ukraine's European neighbors are handling the influx of Ukrainian refugees \"remarkably well,\" and the dire situation within Ukraine's borders is where the greatest hardship is.

\"I think the bigger challenges lie within Ukraine,\" Power said. \"It goes without saying that in places like Mariupol that haven't been reached by meaningful humanitarian assistance in two months, where you have people dying of starvation, of dehydration,\" she said.

\"You've seen images this week of babies who are wearing diapers that are plastic bags taped together as diapers and women so cold that they're in that steel plant wearing the uniforms of steel plant workers, shaking, having been injured, no access to trauma care,\" she added. \"I mean, those are the true horrors that are being perpetrated right now.\"

","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/Politics/war-ukraine-catastrophic-effect-global-food-supply-prices/story?id=84418447","legacySlug":"/news/story/war-ukraine-catastrophic-effect-global-food-supply-prices-84418447","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"15:35","publishDate":"05-01-2022","updatedTime":"09:57","updatedDate":"05-02-2022","socialImage":{"alt":"The Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Samantha Power speaks at a press conference with President of Moldova Maia Sandu, during her official visit in Chisinau, Moldova, April 6, 2022.","credit":"Dumitru Doru/EPA via Shutterstock","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/Politics/power-sh-er-220430_1651335516785_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"5/1/2022 15:35:00 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":84418447,"headline":"War having 'catastrophic effect' on food supply","mediaAssetTitle":"SAMANTHA POWER THIS WEEK","description":"She blamed it squarely on \"Putin's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.\" ","duration":"5:50","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2022/05/220501_tw_power_1012_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["132488083","132306053","132266872"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"video","date":"April 29, 2026","headline":"Grand jury indicts former FBI director over Instagram post","section":"News","slug":"/video/132488083","id":"132488083","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Grand jury indicts former FBI director over Instagram post","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Grand jury indicts former FBI director over Instagram post","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260429_gma_thomas_comey2_706_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"April 23, 2026","headline":"Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill' any boat laying mines in Strait of Hormuz","section":"News","slug":"/video/132306053","id":"132306053","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill' any boat laying mines in Strait of Hormuz","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill' any boat laying mines in Strait of Hormuz","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"April 22, 2026","headline":"Fallout after Fed nominee grilled on Capitol Hill","section":"News","slug":"/video/132266872","id":"132266872","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Fallout after Fed nominee grilled on Capitol Hill","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Fallout after Fed nominee grilled on Capitol Hill","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"War having 'catastrophic effect' on food supply","description":"She blamed it squarely on \"Putin's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.\" ","duration":"5:50","uploadDate":"05-01-2022","publication":"05-01-2022","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2022/05/220501_tw_power_1012_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2022/05/220501_tw_power_1012_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/story/war-ukraine-catastrophic-effect-global-food-supply-prices-84418447"}},"playlist":[{"id":"132748964","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132747869","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132738086","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132714218","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132701634","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132706335","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132675442","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132665875","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132628890","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132569874","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132567885","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132510121","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132473181","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132497933","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132281378","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132283010","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132273278","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132231169","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132206748","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132200241","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:news:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"news","title":"War having 'catastrophic effect' on food supply","pubTime":"11:35","pubDate":"05-01-2022","modTime":"05:57","modDate":"05-02-2022","taxonomyTags":"none","id":84418447,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"War having 'catastrophic effect' on food supply","mediaAssetTitle":"SAMANTHA POWER THIS WEEK","videoId":84418447,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/news/story/war-ukraine-catastrophic-effect-global-food-supply-prices-84418447"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/84418447","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/84418447","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};