Stop playing hunger games,- Kuleba urges Russia
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, believes that Russia's statement regarding its withdrawal from the "grain deal" is being used as a tool for pressure, according to his statement in an interview with CBS.
"Russia has been slowly killing the 'grain initiative' from one extension to another. You have to know one number: last year when the Black Sea Grain Initiative was introduced, grain prices in the world dropped by 20%. So, the immediate outcome of non-extension of the agreement will mean that prices for grain all across the globe will go up," he said.
According to Kuleba, regions such as Africa and Asia will feel the impact of these price increases, and "it is the result of Russian actions."
The minister believes that Russia is "using hunger as an instrument" to blackmail the world and pursue its interests, and he called on the aggressor country to "stop playing hunger games."
"Grain deal"
Today, the spokesperson for the Russian dictator, Dmitry Peskov, stated that the agreements regarding the "grain deal" have been effectively terminated.
It should be noted that after the start of the full-scale invasion, the Russians blockaded Ukrainian ports. Later, Türkiye and the UN signed separate agreements with Ukraine and Russia for a "grain corridor" in the Black Sea, which involved the export of Ukrainian food products.
Since then, the initiative has been extended several times. However, every time the deadlines expired, Russia stated that it would not continue the operation of the "corridor" and tried to negotiate exceptions from the sanctions or additional opportunities for Russian exports. Yet, no progress was made.
