Blinken accuses Russia of using food as a weapon in Ukraine

UNITED NATIONS, Might 19 (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Russia on Thursday of employing foodstuff as a weapon in Ukraine by keeping “hostage” provides for not just Ukrainians, but also hundreds of thousands about the world.

A senior formal in Moscow later rejected the allegations, stating Russians were being “not idiots” and would not export meals even though getting issue to hard sanctions.

Addressing the United Nations Security Council, Blinken appealed to Russia to cease blockading Ukrainian ports.

“The Russian government appears to feel that making use of food items as a weapon will help execute what its invasion has not – to split the spirit of the Ukrainian individuals,” he mentioned.

“The food items offer for tens of millions of Ukrainians and thousands and thousands extra all over the earth has pretty pretty much been held hostage.”

The war in Ukraine has triggered world wide selling prices for grains, cooking oils, gasoline and fertilizer to soar.

Russia and Ukraine alongside one another account for almost a 3rd of worldwide wheat materials. Ukraine is also a major exporter of corn, barley, sunflower oil and rapeseed oil, although Russia and Belarus – which has backed Moscow in its war in Ukraine – account for additional than 40% of world-wide exports of potash, a crop nutrient.

Previous Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, producing on the Telegram messaging app, explained Russians were being competent at producing foods wanted throughout the environment beneath the appropriate conditions.

“Every little thing turns out to be illogical – on the one hand, nuts sanctions are introduced though on the other hand there are demands to supply foods,” wrote Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia’s Stability Council.

“Points do not operate like that. We are not idiots.”

Medvedev said producing harvests expected persons competent in agriculture, as properly as correct equipment and fertilizer.

“Russia knows how to do this,” he wrote. “We have all the opportunities to assure there is foods in other countries, so that there are no crises. Just never stop us from working.”

Russia’s U.N. Ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, dismissed as “certainly bogus” any suggestion that Russia was to blame for a global foodstuff crisis that experienced been brewing for a number of yrs.

He accused Ukraine of keeping international vessels in its ports and mining the waters.

“The selection to weaponize meals is Moscow’s and Moscow’s on your own,” Blinken claimed.

“Some 20 million tons of grain sit unused in Ukrainian silos as international food items offer dwindle (and) rates skyrocket.”

U.N. Secretary-Basic Antonio Guterres is making an attempt to broker a deal allowing Ukraine to resume meals exports and revive Russian food stuff and fertilizer output to planet markets. go through extra

Additional reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and Ronald Popeski Enhancing by Daniel Wallis and Stephen Coates

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