With Ukraine’s ports blocked, trains in Europe haul grain

By PHILIPP-MORITZ JENNE
Associated Press

VIENNA (AP) — A train carrying 2,000 metric tons of Ukrainian corn has arrived in Austria. It’s part of European efforts to elude a Russian blockade of Ukraine’s ports that has prevented critical supplies of wheat, corn and other grains from getting to countries in Africa, Middle East and parts of Asia. Austria’s farming minister said Friday that the shipment marked the establishment of a “green corridor” for important cargo shipments between the two countries. The shipment comes amid a wider struggle to cope with disruptions to global food supplies triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with both countries two of the world’s biggest suppliers of wheat, barley and sunflower oil.