The US and its wealthy allies are inflicting a worldwide meals disaster by draining the market, the Russian president stated
“Predatory” financial and commerce insurance policies pursued by the US and its allies are the first reason for the worldwide meals disaster, Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated.
Western nations are utilizing their wealth and talent to print cash to hoover up meals merchandise from the worldwide market, the Russian chief stated throughout a authorities assembly on Tuesday. The unfolding disaster has been within the making for a number of years, he claimed.
“Some main nations have monetary and meals insurance policies that led to the outcome we’re observing now,” Putin stated, including that the habits may very well be described as “predatory, with none exaggeration.”
He famous that the US was a web exporter of meals merchandise final yr, however now it’s a web importer.
The Russian chief additionally reiterated his criticism of the Ukraine grain deal, which allowed Kiev to export meals by way of the Black Sea. The association was mediated by the UN and Türkiye, however Russia believes it’s not working as supposed, arguing that the shipments do little to alleviate meals shortages in needy nations.
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Putin cited final week’s maritime visitors statistics in relation to the scheme, mentioning that many of the ships carrying Ukrainian grain that didn’t report Türkiye as their vacation spot went to one of many EU nations.
“Are they the poorest nations or what? The state of affairs stays the identical. Embarrassing because it sounds, however that is plain swindle, and nothing else,” he stated.
Russia is about to reap a file quantity of grain this yr, which is predicted to achieve 150 million tons, together with some 100 million tons of wheat, Putin stated. However Russian meals merchandise have a troublesome time discovering their technique to the worldwide market attributable to Western financial sanctions, as do Russian fertilizers, he added. The West “is inflicting the worldwide meals disaster,” he claimed.
The US and its allies deny that the restrictions they’ve imposed on Russian commerce over the nation’s army marketing campaign in Ukraine are concentrating on its meals and fertilizer exports.
Officers in Moscow say that, whereas these merchandise are technically not banned, restrictions on issues like insurance coverage and port companies for Russian service provider ships successfully curb the nation’s capacity to export meals and fertilizers.