Ambassador accuses US of reversing food crisis

The US is turning things on its HEAD when they say Russia's actions in Ukraine have led to a food crisis, Russian Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov said. His words are quoted by the press service of the embassy in TELEGRAM.

“The United States is deliberately turning the situation on its head,” Antonov said, commenting on statements by the US State Department that the food supply crisis is due to Russian actions in the Black and Azov Seas.

According to him, "the Kyiv authorities mine" the waters of the ports, because of which ships cannot deliver food to other states, while the Russian side is trying to coordinate the opening of humanitarian corridors.

“Washington stubbornly refuses to be held accountable for its foreign economic blunders. Claims that anti-Russian restrictions allegedly do not harm our food and fertilizer supplies do not hold water. Apparently, attempts to isolate the Russian financial system and undermine the capabilities of the transport sector do not count,” the ambassador said.

Earlier, US State Department spokesman Ned Price said during a briefing that the problem of food insecurity is exacerbated by Russia's actions in Ukraine.

The fact that food problems could worsen in the world was announced on March 24 by French and US Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Joe Biden after the G7 summit. According to Macron, such a development of events will be a direct consequence of the Russian special operation. He noted that because of the fighting and the threat of disruption of the sowing campaign, some countries that depend on grain supplies from RUSSIA and Ukraine are already experiencing difficulties, and "the situation will become even more serious in 12-18 months."

Russia and Ukraine are one of the world's largest suppliers of wheat, according to a report by the American Foreign Agricultural Service of the Ministry of Agriculture. In the 2021-2022 season that began in July, Russian suppliers accounted for 16% of world wheat exports, Ukrainian suppliers for 10%. The European Union is in the lead: it supplies 18% of wheat, the US exports 11%. At the same time, Ukraine ranks first in the EXPORT of corn in the world: it accounts for 14% (Russia - 2%).