Vladimir Putin assures that Moscow will help overcome the food crisis if sanctions are lifted
Sylvie Claire / May 27, 2022
Russia is ready to make a significant contribution to overcoming the food crisis through the export of grain and fertilizer, provided the West lifts politically motivated restrictions, Putin said, according to a Kremlin statement, in a phone call with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi.
The Kremlin said that this call took place at the initiative of the Italian side.
Mr. Putin assured that Western accusations that Moscow, since its offensive in Ukraine, is blocking Ukrainian grain exports were not founded.
The difficulties that have arisen are related, among other things, to disruptions in the operation of production and logistics chains, as well as the financial policies of Western countries during the coronavirus pandemic, he said.
The situation has worsened due to anti-Russian restrictions imposed by the United States and the European Union, he assured, referring to the unprecedented salvos of sanctions that hit Russia.
Ukraine, a major exporter of grain, especially corn and wheat, has seen its production blocked due to the fighting.
For its part, Russia, another grain-producing power, cannot sell its production and fertilizers because of Western sanctions affecting the financial and logistics sectors. Both countries produce a third of the world's wheat.
According to a statement from the Italian government the call was devoted to developments in the situation in Ukraine and efforts to find a common solution to the ongoing food crisis, as well as the serious repercussions on the poorest countries of the world.
Neither of the two leaders spoke directly about the peace plan in Ukraine proposed by Italy.
The head of Russian diplomacy Sergei Lavrov said Thursday that the plan submitted by Italy to the UN was not serious and that he knew the content only through the press, the text had not been communicated to Moscow.