Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – The world is thrown into confusion by Russian ‘weapons’. However, the weapons in question are neither missiles nor war equipment.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Russia of using food as a weapon in Ukraine by holding food supplies hostage, not only to millions of Ukrainians, but also to millions around the world who depend on Ukrainian exports.
Before the UN Security Council, Blinken called on Russia to stop blockading Ukrainian ports.
“The Russian government seems to think that using food as a weapon will help achieve what the invasion has not done, to discourage the Ukrainian people,” he said. ReutersFriday (20/5/2022).
“Food supplies for millions of Ukrainians and millions more around the world have been literally taken hostage by the Russian military.”
The war in Ukraine has caused global prices for grain, cooking oil, fuel and fertilizer to soar.
Meanwhile, Russia and Ukraine together account for nearly a third of the global grain supply. Ukraine is also a major exporter of corn, barley, sunflower oil and rapeseed oil. Meanwhile, Russia and Belarus, which have supported Moscow in its war on Ukraine, account for more than 40% of global potassium exports for plant nutrition.
Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia said accusations that Russia was to blame for the global food crisis that had been going on for several years were completely misrepresented.
According to him, it is precisely Ukraine that has detained foreign ships in its ports, while it has repeatedly tried to open safe corridors for ships.
Nebenzia also blamed Western sanctions imposed on Moscow over the Ukraine war for having a dire effect on Russia’s exports of food and fertilizer.
However, this was denied by Blinken. “The decision to use food as a weapon belongs to Moscow and Moscow itself,” Blinken said. “As a result of the actions of the Russian government, about 20 million tonnes of grain are being used in Ukrainian silos as the global food supply is reduced, prices are skyrocketing, causing more and more around the world to be food insecure.”
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is trying to broker a “package deal” that would allow Ukraine to resume food exports via the Black Sea and revive Russian food and fertilizer production to world markets.
“There is enough food for everyone in the world. The problem is distribution, and this is very much related to the war in Ukraine,” Guterres said.
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