The head of European diplomacy accuses Moscow of using grain exports “as a tool of blackmail against anyone who opposes its aggression” in Ukraine.
Russia is putting the world at risk of starvation with the blocking of grain exports from Ukraine and restrictions on its own exports, the head of European diplomacy, the Spaniard Josep Borrell, accused on Saturday. Threats to food security and thebattle of storieswith Russia on the reality of the sanctions imposed on Moscow will be at the center of discussions by EU foreign ministers on Monday in Luxembourg.
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«We stand ready to work with the UN to prevent any undesirable impact of our sanctions on global food security.“says Josep Borrell in an article published on his official blog. The head of European diplomacy denounces “Russia’s conscious political choice to “militariser” grain exports and use them as a tool of blackmail against anyone who opposes his aggression” in Ukraine.
“Battle of Stories”
«Russia has turned the Black Sea into a war zone, blocking grain and fertilizer shipments from Ukraine (…) and also applies quotas and taxes on its own grain exports“, he underlines.
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The sanctions imposed by the European Uniondo not prohibit Russia from exporting agricultural products and seeds, or from purchasing them, provided that the sanctioned persons or entities are not involvedin these operations, specifies the head of European diplomacy. “We are fully aware that there is a “battle of stories” around this question“Sanctions, he acknowledges.
«It is imperative to allow the resumption of Ukrainian exports by ship. We are working closely with the UN and hope that a solution can be found in the next few days. Failure to do so risks causing a global food disaster“, he warns.
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