Eva Deschamps / June 19, 2022
Russia is putting the world at risk of famine with the blocking of grain exports from Ukraine and restrictions on its own exports, accused Saturday the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell of Spain.
Threats to food security and the battle of narratives with Russia over the reality of sanctions imposed on Moscow will be at the center of discussions by EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg on Monday.
We are ready to work with the UN to prevent any undesirable impact of our sanctions on global food security, said Josep Borrell in an article published on his official blog. The head of European diplomacy denounces the conscious political choice of Russia to 'militarize' grain exports and use them as a blackmail tool against anyone who opposes its aggression in Ukraine.
Russia has turned the Black Sea into a war zone, blocking grain and fertilizer shipments from Ukraine (...) and is also applying quotas and taxes on its own grain exports, he says.
The sanctions imposed by the European Union do not prohibit Russia from exporting agricultural products and seeds, nor from purchasing them, provided that the sanctioned persons or entities are not involved in these operations, says the head of European diplomacy. We are fully aware that there is a 'battle of narratives' around this issue of sanctions, he acknowledges.
It is imperative to allow the resumption of Ukrainian exports by ship. We are working closely with the UN and hope that a solution can be found in the next few days. Failure to do so risks a global food catastrophe, he warned.