Lavrov called on African countries to demand the lifting of anti-Russian sanctions

The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry said that African countries take an objective position on the situation in Ukraine,and called on "African friends" to demand that the West lift sanctions against Moscow Sergey Larov

The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Sergei Larov, called on African countries to demand that the West lift the sanctions imposed against Russia . The minister said this while speaking at a reception on the occasion of Africa Day.

“We call on our friends, the African Union, to demand, and insistently demand, from the West the lifting of illegal unilateral sanctions that undermine the transport and logistics infrastructure necessary for world trade,” Lavrov said.

He stated that Russia "fulfills and will continue to fulfill in good faith its obligations under international contracts in terms of export deliveries of food, fertilizers, energy carriers and other urgently needed products for Africa."

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According to him, African countries take a “balanced and objective” position regarding what is happening around Ukraine and Moscow sees their readiness to expand political dialogue with Russia, as well as to increase economic and humanitarian cooperation. “We know that the unceremonious line of behavior of Western countries sometimes causes open rejection on the African continent. I am sure that African friends will not succumb to Washington's discriminatory pressure," the minister said.

“We need, in the interests of our peoples, to work together to maintain and expand mutually beneficial trade and investment ties in the new conditions in order to rely on reliable logistical and financial mechanisms protected from external interference,” he added.

Lavrov promised that Russia would continue to support African countries and develop cooperation. Also, according to him, Russia expects in the near future to agree with African countries on the format for holding the Russia-Africa summit.

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Since the end of February, many countries have begun to tighten and introduce new sanctions against Russia. Hundreds of foreign companies, including banks, services, automakers, food manufacturers and retail chains, announced the termination of work in the country or the termination of supplies to Russia. In response, the Russian authorities adopted a package of measures to support the economy and announced the intensification of the import substitution program.

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After the start of the military special operation in Ukraine, reports of a global food shortage also began to appear, as Moscow and Kyiv are one of the largest suppliers of grain in the world (16 and 10% of world wheat exports in the 2021/22 season, respectively). In addition, Ukraine is one of the leaders in the export of corn (14%). Wheat prices after the outbreak of hostilities jumped to record levels.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock said that the situation in Ukraine could cause global famine. In addition, she believes, “Russia creates the ground for new crises” and deliberately organizes a “blockade of food exports” as part of a “hybrid war”. The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said in turn that Moscow is using food as a weapon to gain influence.

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Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova replied that world food prices are rising because of Western sanctions against Russia, and not because of a special operation in Ukraine. Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council, also spoke about the possibility of famine and global crises due to sanctions against Moscow.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on May 6 to withdraw fertilizers and products from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine from sanctions. According to him, they need to be returned to world markets to ensure food security, despite the fighting.