A US official said Wednesday that countries should seek US assistance if they are having trouble importing food and fertilizer from Russia, emphasizing that these items are not covered by US sanctions imposed on Moscow over the war in Ukraine.
“There is nothing preventing Russia from exporting grain and fertilizer, apart from its own policies and actions,” said Ramin Toloui, Assistant Secretary of State for Trade and Economic Affairs.
However, he added that there are concerns about “the so-called overcompliance with sanctions”. Washington has imposed a wide variety of sanctions since Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine on February 24.
Facilitating Russia’s food and grain exports is an important part of the UN and Turkish authorities’ attempts to reach an agreement with Moscow that would allow grain shipments from the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odessa.
A meeting between Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and UN officials is likely in Istanbul in the coming weeks, sources from the Turkish presidential office said on Tuesday.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine led to a global food crisis. Russia and Ukraine account for about a third of the global wheat supply. Russia is also a major exporter of fertilizers and Ukraine is an exporter of corn and sunflower oil.
(Reporting by Michelle Nichols and Kanishka Singh)
source: Noticias
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