By using food as a weapon in its war with Kiev, Russia seeks to sow economic instability in Ukraine, antagonize developing countries with the West, and cause divisions among allies, writes the US ambassador in Warsaw in an article published in Rzeczpospolita.
The ambassador referred to the termination by Russia of the so-called. grain deal. On July 17, 2023, Russia announced that it would no longer participate in the agreement, which provided security guarantees for grain carriers leaving the Black Sea ports.
Brzezinski: “Each UN Member State Should Tell Moscow: Enough!”
“Russia did not stop at withdrawing the initiative. Its goal was to attack granaries and other port infrastructure in Ukraine. He threatened cargo ships from third countries if they tried to load grain from Ukrainian ports. It also took advantage of rising grain prices by exporting its own grain while keeping Ukrainian grain out of the market. According to the International Monetary Fund, Russia’s withdrawal from the grain initiative will increase world grain prices by 10-15%. Brzezinski writes.
The ambassador assured that, despite the misinformation coming from Russia, the United States and its partners did not impose sanctions on the export of Russian agricultural products. “This is part of our commitment to global food security. And, contrary to Russia’s claims, more than half of the food and two-thirds of the wheat received through the grains initiative was sent to developing countries, including those with the most severe food shortages in the world,” he explains.
“Each UN member state must say to Moscow: enough is enough! Stop using the Black Sea for blackmail; tired of treating the world’s most vulnerable people like a bargaining chip; enough of this unjustified, merciless war,” writes Brzezinski.
He adds that by using food as a weapon, Russia seeks to sow economic instability in Ukraine, antagonize developing countries with the West, and cause dissension among allies.
Putin will meet with Erdogan?
A few days ago, Russian and Turkish media reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin might visit Turkey in mid-August. According to the Turkish newspaper, Putin and Erdogan will discuss, among other things, the resumption of the grain deal, bilateral relations between Turkey and Russia, relations between Turkey, Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as the normalization of relations between Turkey and Syria.
Politico recalls that during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Istanbul last month, the Turkish President announced that Vladimir Putin would come to Turkey in August to discuss the extension of the grain deal. However, the agreement, which allowed Ukraine to continue exporting agricultural goods across the Black Sea after the Russian invasion, expired in July after Russia unilaterally withdrew from it.
Source: Wprost
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