In response to EU claims that Russia is using food as a weapon, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said this morning that the resolution of a problem with food products requires both de-mining of Ukrainian waters and also the lifting of sanctions on Russia. “The resolution of a food problem requires a comprehensive approach, including that related to the lifting of sanctions imposed on Russian export and financial transactions, as well as mine clearing is needed on the part of Ukraine in all the ports where the ships are docked. Russia is ready to provide the necessary humanitarian passage which it is doing on a daily basis,” as quoted by TASS.
Rudenko’s remarks were a response, in part, to comments that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made to the Davos meeting yesterday. She claimed that Russia is using food supplies as a weapon with global repercussions, acting the same way it does in the energy sector. “In Russian-occupied Ukraine, the Kremlin’s army is confiscating grain stocks and machinery.... And Russian warships in the Black Sea are blockading Ukrainian ships full of wheat and sunflower seeds,” she claimed.
Rudenko responded: “The Russian side is always ready for dialogue with everyone who desires peace, a peaceful resolution of all problems. I’d leave the statements by Ursula von der Leyen on her conscience.”
