Kremlin: The West is responsible for the global grain crisis.
A Kremlin spokesman blamed the West for the global food crisis and grain shortages, saying illegal Western sanctions should be lifted to resume the movement of food ships.
The Kremlin has vehemently denied claims by Western countries that Russia is responsible for reducing grain exports by imposing a naval blockade on Ukraine.
Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that the West should only blame itself for the global food crisis, which has made it difficult to supply Ukrainian grain to world markets.
According to Reuters, Peskov denied the allegations against Russia and stressed that illegal sanctions against Moscow should be lifted to resolve the global grain shortage crisis.
“We categorically deny these allegations and, conversely, accuse Western countries of committing a number of illegal acts that have led to this,” he told a news conference in the Kremlin.
A Kremlin spokesman said: “They (the West) must repeal those illegal decisions (sanctions against Russia) – [restrictions] that prevent companies from renting ships, grain exports, etc. – in order to resume supply.”
According to Reuters, Russia and Ukraine together account for about a third of the world’s wheat supply. Ukraine is also a major exporter of corn, barley, sunflower oil and canola oil. Russia and Belarus also account for more than 40% of global potash exports.
Earlier, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rodenko announced today that he was ready to help the departure of food carriers from Ukrainian ports, saying that sanctions should be lifted to prevent a food crisis.
According to the UN, 36 countries supply more than half of their wheat needs through Ukraine and Russia, including Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Somalia and the Congo.
