BRUSSELS, May 31. /TASS/. Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi on Tuesday said the country’s Navy could help to clear the Ukrainian ports of mines.

"There’s Russian consent for ships to leave ports but the problem is they are rigged with mines," he said at a news conference following an EU summit. "The sides - Russia and Ukraine - accuse each other but the fact is they are full of mines. And our Navy sailors could help."

"We cannot lose the battle for food security, otherwise countries that are at risk of famine and that are not on the side of the West will feel betrayed and will never be on the side of the alliance," Draghi warned.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously explained to some European leaders in telephone talks that the food supply problems were the result of anti-Russian sanctions and other Western mistakes, and said that blaming Russia for them is unacceptable.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said earlier that the Russian Navy will ensure unhindered passage for ships with Ukrainian grain if Ukraine clears its waterways of mines.

The situation in Ukraine and the massive sanctions imposed by the US and the EU on Russia have led to disruptions in grain supplies, which increases the risk of a food crisis in several countries around the world. Since the beginning of the year, prices for wheat and corn have risen significantly. Wheat inventories, as the UN Security Council noted at a meeting on May 21, are enough to last the world for only 10 weeks and the situation is worse compared with the crisis in 2007-2008.