Food shortages across the globe are not Moscow’s fault but Russia is ready to help alleviate them by exporting grain and fertilizers – if the West removes its “politically motivated” embargo, President Vladimir Putin told Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi during a phone call on Thursday.
Putin pointed out it was “groundless” to accuse Russia of problems with agricultural products reaching global markets, according to the Kremlin’s readout of the call. The Russian president attributed the situation to “disruptions in production and supply chains, as well as the financial policies of Western countries during the coronavirus pandemic,” which were only “aggravated by the anti-Russian restrictions” imposed by the US and the EU over the conflict in Ukraine.
Russia is ready to make a “significant contribution to overcoming the food crisis” by exporting both fertilizer and grain if the Western embargo is lifted, Putin said.