At the Munich Security Conference, Christophe Hansen, a member of the European Commission responsible for agriculture and food, highlighted the crucial issue of food dependence on Russia, stating, "You cannot build a continent with empty stomachs nor win a war with empty stomachs." He emphasized that Russia treats grain as its second oil and is leveraging this to exert influence, underscoring the need for the EU to address its vulnerabilities concerning food dependencies.

Hansen pointed out that the European Union's heavy reliance on fertilizer imports from Russia and Belarus has placed the bloc in a precarious position. He expressed his concerns about potentially falling into similar dependencies regarding food production, warning that it poses a significant danger if countries remain reliant on food imports from Russia. This dependency could lead to food being used as a weapon in future conflicts, therefore, requiring immediate action to diversify food sources.

Moreover, Hansen stressed the need to recognize that the use of food as a weapon is a part of hybrid warfare, calling for a collective effort to mitigate the ramifications of such strategies in the geopolitical landscape. He urged nations to take proactive measures to ensure food security and sovereignty within the EU to avert future crises stemming from reliance on external food supplies.