Kremlin says West is to blame for Ukraine grain crisis

26/5/2022 19:22

        The Kremlin said the West only had itself to blame for a brewing food crisis due to problems getting Ukraine's grain out to world markets, demanding the United States and its allies scrap what it cast as illegal sanctions.
        
        Besides the death and devastation sown by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the war and the West's attempt to isolate Russia as punishment have sent the price of grain, cooking oil, fertiliser and energy soaring, hurting global growth.
        
        The United Nations, which says a global food crisis is deepening, is trying to broker a deal to unblock Ukraine's grain exports though Western leaders have blamed Russia for holding the world to ransom by blockading Ukrainian ports.
        
        Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected those accusations and said the West was to blame for the situation.
        
        Russia has captured some of Ukraine's biggest seaports and its navy controls major transport routes in the Black Sea, where extensive mining has made commercial shipping dangerous. Sanctions have also made it hard for Russian exporters to access vessels to move commodities to global markets.