U.S. on Putin's 'free grain': Desperate attempt to hide impacts of leaving Black Sea deal
US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby (Getty Images)
Moscow's desire to replace Ukrainian grain with Russian grain in the African market appears to be a "desperate attempt" by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to conceal the impact of his decision to terminate the grain deal, as US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said in an interview with Voice of America.
"It looks like a desperate attempt by Mr. Putin to try to paper over the impact that his decision to not extend the deal is going to have on African nations," he said.
According to Kirby, each of these African sovereign nations has got to decide for themselves whether this new offer by Putin is legitimate and whether they want to accept it.
Putin's proposal
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin told African leaders that he will provide countries with 25-50 thousand tons of grain for free over several months, despite Western sanctions "complicating grain and fertilizer exports," according to his claims.
Russian grain and fertilizer exports are not subject to Western sanctions; however, Moscow claimed that restrictions on payments, logistics, and insurance pose obstacles to the shipments.
Reaction to the offer
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated that Russia's "handful of donations" will not be able to remedy the dramatic consequences of terminating the grain deal.
Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa told Putin that Harare does not sense a shortage of food.
