Western nations, which have created many problems by closing ports to Russian ships and cutting off logistics and financial chains, need to think hard about what is most important, “said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in a statement.
According to the Russian ruler, the West can “make public the issue of food security” or “resolve this issue with concrete action”.
During the visit to Bahrain, Lavrov stressed that “the ball is in their court”.
Sergei Lavrov called on Ukraine, which has been facing a Russian invasion for three months, to clear the seas around its ports and allow ships loaded with grain to pass through the Black Sea.
If the demining problem is resolved (…), the Russian navy will guarantee that these ships will be able to sail freely across the Mediterranean and then to their destinations, “Lavrov promised.
The conflict in Ukraine has destabilized the world food balance and raises fears of a crisis affecting particularly poor countries.
Ukraine, a major exporter of cereals, especially corn and wheat, has been cut off from production due to fighting.
In turn, Russia, another power in the sector, is unable to produce and sell its fertilizers due to Western sanctions affecting the finance and logistics sectors. Both countries produce about a third of the world’s wheat.
On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged to work with Turkey to ensure the movement of goods from Ukraine, including grain, into the Black Sea.
On the other hand, the UN said Monday’s talks with the Russian government to facilitate the country’s export of food and fertilizer were “constructive”.
Rebecca Greenspan, secretary-general of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), met with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov in Moscow on Monday, and traveled to Washington on Tuesday to hold talks with US officials, the organization said. Today.
“The purpose of the talks, as we have said, is to focus on facilitating Russian grains and fertilizers to global markets in response to growing food insecurity,” spokesman Stephen Dujarric explained.
UNCTAD official UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who has been at the forefront of the issue, has been trying for weeks to promote a broader agreement that includes Ukrainian food, which is the basis for some of the world’s poorest countries. The problem of hunger is getting more complicated.
According to various estimates, Ukraine has about 22 million tons of grain that could not leave the country as a result of the conflict because Russia is blocking the Black Sea and Ukrainian ports have been cut off to prevent Russian troops from landing. .
The Russian Foreign Minister is in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia today, to meet with his Saudi prince, Faisal bin Farhan, and the head of the Islamic Cooperation Organization in the country, his spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
Lavrov is scheduled to meet with the Foreign Ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on Wednesday.
The Riyadh-based organization includes key members of the OPEC + Oil Alliance, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the group, along with ten foreign manufacturers signed in 2021, including Russia.
Despite pressure from Washington, which wants to increase oil production to calm energy prices, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have shown their commitment to OPEC + and are distancing themselves from their traditional ally the United States.