MOSCOW | Russia is “ready” to help an “unfettered” export of grain from Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin assured on Saturday, while warning of a further “destabilizing” of the situation in the event of continued deliveries. Western weapons in Kyiv.
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According to a Kremlin statement, Mr Putin made the statements in a telephone conversation on Saturday with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
“Russia is ready to help find options for the unhindered export of grain, including Ukrainian grain from ports on the Black Sea,” said the statement issued after the telephone conversation, which was took place against the background of fears of a serious food crisis due to the Russian offensive in Ukraine.
According to Mr. Putin, the difficulties related to food deliveries were caused by “a wrong economic and financial policy of Western countries, as well as by the anti-Russian sanctions” imposed by these countries, he explains in the press release.
An increase in deliveries of Russian fertilizers and agricultural products could reduce tensions on the international agricultural market “which will obviously require the lifting of appropriate sanctions” targeting Moscow, he underlines.
Ukraine, a major exporter of cereals, especially corn and wheat, is seeing its production blocked due to the fighting.
For its part, Russia, another cereal power, cannot sell its production and its fertilizers because of Western sanctions affecting the financial and logistics sectors. The two countries produce a third of the world’s wheat.
In fact, the conflict has undermined the global food balance, raising fears of a serious crisis that will particularly affect the poorest countries.
During the telephone interview, Vladimir Putin also “emphasized the dangerous nature of continuing to flood Ukraine with Western weapons, warning of the risks of further destabilization of the situation and a worsening of the humanitarian crisis,” according to the Kremlin.
The Russian president finally confirmed that Russia remained “open to a resumption of dialogue” with Kyiv to settle the armed conflict, while peace negotiations with Ukraine have been stalled since March, according to the same source.