Russia says US attempting to shift food crisis blame on Moscow amid Ukraine war; 'absurd'

In his latest remarks, Anatoly Antonov, the Russian ambassador to the United States, lambasted Washington for blaming Russia for the global food crisis amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. He also stated that the US' attempts to shift all responsibility for  the food crisis  to Russia are "absurd."

"As always, a lot of lies are being spread with unprofessional statements. It is being done without proper analysis and understanding of the situation, or rather the absence of desire to understand the essence of the problem," the Russian diplomat remarked, as per TASS news agency.  

According to the Russian ambassador, there were several reasons that led to a shortage of agricultural products. These include inflation, consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions, accumulated soil depletion, climate change, as well as some other factors, Antonov claimed. He further stated that sanctions on Russia have been "purposefully imposed" to make it as difficult as possible for foreign companies to collaborate with Russian firms. Despite this, he asserted, Russia persisted in its attempts to increase food security. 

Russia claims to fairly supply products to global agricultural market

Further, the Russian diplomat underscored that Moscow has also been actively making contributions to the UN World Food Program's (WFP's) budget since 2003. According to him, the nation supplies products to the global agricultural market in a fair and accountable manner. 

"Washington, it seems, could not come to terms with its absence among the participants of the quadrilateral initiative on the safe transportation of grain and food from the ports of Ukraine. It is significant that American officials generally prefer not to talk about the signing of a memorandum between Russia and the United Nations on July 22 to promote the export of Russian agricultural products," Antonov said, as per TASS.

Russia-Ukraine grain agreement

It is significant to mention here that Ukraine and Russia signed separate grain export deals with the United Nations and Turkey on July 22, paving the way for the shipment of millions of tonnes of urgently required Ukrainian grain. The deal has enabled Ukraine to resume shipping grain from the Black Sea to international markets. In addition, Russia would also begin exporting grain and fertilizers, ending a dispute that had jeopardised global food security. 

(Image: AP)