The Kremlin said on Thursday that only the West was responsible for the food crisis due to Ukraine’s problems getting its grain to world markets, and demanded that the United States and its allies lift what they call illegal sanctions.
In addition to the death and destruction wrought by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the war and the West’s attempt to isolate Russia as punishment have crippled global growth by raising prices for grain, cooking oil, fertilizer and energy.
Saying the global food crisis is deepening, the United Nations is trying to negotiate a deal to unblock Ukraine’s grain exports, even as Western leaders accuse Russia of holding the world hostage by blocking Ukrainian ports.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied these accusations and said the West was responsible for the situation.
“We categorically reject these accusations and, on the contrary, accuse Western countries of committing various illegal acts that led to this,” Peskov told reporters.
“They (the West) need to cancel these illegal decisions that prevent the charter of ships, the export of grain, etc.,” so that supplies can continue, Peskov said.
Russia has conquered some of Ukraine’s largest ports, and its navy controls key transport routes in the Black Sea, where the laying of heavy explosive mines has made commercial shipping dangerous. The sanctions have also made it harder for Russian exporters to access ships to transport commodities to global markets.
source: Noticias
