Moscow slams West over 'destructive' stance on grain
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Russia holds the West responsible for the worldwide grain shortage, criticizing its policies and actions that raised the prices of foodstuffs.
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Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova
Russia on Monday blamed the West's "destructive" stance for the record-high grain prices, which gave rise to fears regarding a global food crisis in light of the Ukraine war.
"Concerning the possibility of famine, more and more experts are leaning towards a pessimistic scenario... and that is the fault of Western regimes, which act as provokers and destroyers," said foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova on Telegram.
Zakharova underlined that the West had made "systematic mistakes" in its agricultural policy planning, surging global inflation with its "short-sighted" financial and monetary mechanisms created during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Furthermore, she concluded that the West's illegal restrictions imposed on Russia over the Ukraine war disrupted logistical and financial circuits, especially when it comes to grain exports.
The energy price surges are also the result of a "poorly thought-out" energy transition policy by European and North American countries, notably through "the forced introduction of biofuels", she added.
Several countries and international organizations have been calling for the unblocking of the Ukrainian seaports since the start of the war. Grain is stuck in the country's warehouse, and the world is calling for its release with the aim of curtailing the rising food process and delivering crops to regions facing acute food crises as soon as possible.
Russia has been denying the blocking of seaports, and it has highlighted that Ukraine deployed mines in the Black Sea.
This comes as Russia stressed that it would retain its grain export quota mechanism next season, and its exports in 2022 could reach 50 million tonnes.
Meanwhile, millions of tons of grain remain trapped in Ukraine, stored in silos and at the port of Odessa, causing a dramatic increase in global food prices that is expected to worsen as the war continues. Ukraine is considered the world's fourth-largest exporter of corn and fifth-largest exporter of wheat, and the UN's program to combat food insecurity purchases roughly half of its wheat from Ukraine each year.
