Lavrov: West won't be lifting sanctions any time soon

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On Sunday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the latest Western sanctions against Russia were prepared long ago and aren't likely to be lifted.

"The speed with which they were introduced and their volume indicate that they were not created overnight, they were being prepared for quite a while. It is unlikely that these sanctions will be lifted," Lavrov said in an interview for French broadcaster TF1.

"At least, the US, not publicly but during contacts with its allies, says that when all this [the crisis in Ukraine] is over the sanctions will remain anyway," Lavrov added.

The European Union, on its part, does not have easing sanctions against Russia on the table - not even in exchange for Russia's help in overcoming the continent's food crisis, according to a high-ranking EU source.

Read more: UN ambassador: Global food shortages reached highest level

Cancelation of sanctions in exchange for de-escalating tensions in the Black Sea, according to the source, has not been raised among the 27 EU member states.

Last month, an IMF forecast predicted that global food prices will likely increase in the coming months due to the conflict in Ukraine, sanctions on Russia and Belarus, and climate issues, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday in its WEO - the World Economic Outlook.

"Prices of agricultural commodities are likely to rise further - particularly wheat and, to a lesser extent, corn. These changes will add to already soaring prices of staple foods and mean that disruptions to Russian exports may be windfalls for other commodity exporters," the report said. 

Ukraine and Russia, which share the Black Sea, are the world's breadbasket: they provide collectively 28% of global wheat exports. Russia and Belarus, in parallel, provide 40% of potash, an important fertilizer. 

The IMF warned that most of the world - even high-income countries - are affected by the price hikes as a result of the conflict in Ukraine and the sanctions.

Putin to help overcome food crisis if West lifts sanctions

On Thursday, President Vladimir Putin told Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi that Moscow is ready to make a "major contribution" in the course of preventing an impending food crisis if the West lifts its sanctions.

"Putin emphasizes that the Russian Federation is ready to make a significant contribution to overcoming the food crisis through the export of grain and fertilizer, subject to the lifting of politically motivated restrictions by the West," the Kremlin said in a statement following the call. 

Putin also spoke about "steps taken to ensure the safety of navigation, including the daily opening of humanitarian corridors for the exit of civilian ships from the ports of the Azov and the Black Sea, which is impeded by the Ukrainian side."

He also dismissed as "unfounded" suggestions that Russia was to blame for global food supply shortages. 

On its part, the United States dismissed Putin's remarks. "Now they're using economic tools, as weapons. They're weaponizing food. They're weaponizing economic assistance. I guess we shouldn't be surprised by that, since they've weaponized everything else, including lies and information," Pentagon Spokesperson John Kirby claimed.