The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, assured that his country will not attack the ports that are demined for the passage of Ukrainian grain, which is locked for weeks due to the ongoing Russian military campaign.
“We are not going to take advantage of the demining situation to, say, carry out some kind of attack from the sea.” This was said by Putin during an interview with public television.
ukrainian cereal
Putin stressed that the best option for the output of Ukrainian grain are the ports located on the Black Sea. Among them is Odessa, which still remains under Ukrainian control.
“It was not us who mined the accesses, it was Ukraine who mined them. I have already said this many times to all our colleagues. Demining them », he pointed out.
He insisted that Russia will not impose “any conditions”. And he pointed out: “We guarantee peaceful transportation, safe access to those ports. In addition to the entry and transfer of foreign ships », he stressed.
The Russian president considered it a “bluff” to accuse Russia of blocking Ukrainian grain at ports. In this regard, he said that there are dozens of foreign ships with their entire crews held against their will on the territory of Ukraine.
He also recalled that the export volumes of Ukrainian wheat, which he estimated at 6 million tons, are insignificant compared to world production, which amounts to about 800 million.
Russian exports
Putin estimated Russian exports at 37 million tons for 2022 and 2023. And he proposed as an alternative the Ukrainian ports in the Sea of Azov -Mariúpol (Donetsk) and Berdyansk (Zaporiyia)-, both under Russian control.
“We are finishing the demining work. Ukrainian troops mined them at the time in three layers. We will create the necessary logistics. We will,” he said.
He also alluded to other alternatives such as the Danube River, the territories of Romania, Hungary and Poland. And also through Belarus to the Baltic ports, the “easiest and cheapest” option.
“But for this, the sanctions on Belarus must be lifted. But that is no longer our business », he admitted.
sanctions
Putin also accused the West of creating the current food crisis with its “wrong” economic and energy decisions. And he criticized him for trying to make “just pay for sinners” by holding Russia responsible for the problems in the international market.
In his opinion, the United States made a serious mistake in 2020 by flooding the economy with money to alleviate the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, while the European Union more recently adopted a “short-sighted” energy policy.
“The unfavorable situation in the world food market did not start yesterday and also not at the time when the Russian special operation in Donbas and Ukraine began,” he insisted.
Ukraine accuses Russia of blocking its ports, which would prevent it from exporting up to 22 million tons, mainly to Africa and Asia.
In addition, he denounces that Russia has stolen Ukrainian grain and has illegally sold it to third countries such as Syria.
For its part, Russia believes that one of the factors behind the current crisis is Western sanctions and is willing to alleviate the situation by exporting food and fertilizers, whose prices have skyrocketed in Europe due to rising energy rates.
Putin recalled that the United States and the United Kingdom realized it in time and lifted the sanctions on Russian fertilizers, something that Brussels has not done, although the European Commission has categorically denied it.
Food crisis due to blockade of Ukrainian cereal
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will travel to Turkey on the 8th, which has offered to mediate with the UN to unblock Ukrainian ports.
The Russian military campaign in Ukraine is threatening food security around the world, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recently warned.
