Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday accused the European Union (EU) of blocking the donation of 300,000 tons of Russian fertilizer to countries that need it most, as Moscow complained of obstacles to western exports.
Speaking at the accreditation ceremony attended by about 20 ambassadors, Putin said: “The height of the nervousness is that even our offer to freely transfer 300,000 tons of Russian fertilizer to countries in need, blocked at European ports due to sanctions, remains unanswered.”
“It’s clear they don’t want our companies to make money, but we want to give[these tons of fertilizer]free to countries that need it,” he said.
Russia, the world’s grain power, cannot sell its production and fertilizers due to Western sanctions affecting the finance and logistics sectors.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in 2021 Russia was the first exporter of nitrogen fertilizers and the second largest supplier of potassium and phosphorus fertilizers.
This Tuesday, Putin said that some Western countries have agreed to “strengthen their position”, “which has negative consequences for themselves”, and also “for completely innocent states that suffer from such a policy – suffering from such a policy.” He once again criticized the “illegitimate sanctions” – those who suffer from it – the developing countries and the poorest in the first place.
According to him, countries in Africa, South Asia and Latin America “are mainly affected by the restrictions of the West on the supply of Russian energy, food and fertilizers to world markets”.
These statements come at a time when Moscow is increasingly questioning the two agreements reached in Istanbul in July this year that allow wheat and corn exports from Ukraine despite the Russian offensive.
The Kremlin claims, among other things, that most Ukrainian food goes to European countries, and Kyiv denies this.
source: Noticias
