Despite sounding the alarm about rising global food prices, the US has no intention of lifting restrictions on Russian trade, US State Department spokesman Ned Price told journalists during a daily briefing on Wednesday.
Moscow says they affect its ability to export food and fertilizer, but that is a “lie,” he said
“We certainly won’t lift our sanctions in response to empty promises, and we’ve heard empty promises before from the Russian Federation,” Price said when asked if Washington would waiver the restrictions as Moscow suggested.
The US accused Russia of causing a surge in food prices by continuing its military action in Ukraine. Western nations called on Russia to facilitate the export of grain from Ukraine, but Moscow said the situation was complex and not as one-sided as Western nations claim it to be.
One of the latest comments on the issue came from Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko on Wednesday. He said alleviating the food crisis would require “lifting sanctions imposed on Russian exports and financial transactions” as well as “removing sea mines from all Ukrainian ports”.