The U.S. says Russia continues to undermine the Black Sea Grain Initiative, a global food lifeline also key for world fertilizer supplies.
State Department Spokesman Vedant Patel says the Black Sea Grain Initiative has helped stabilize world grain prices and saved millions from starvation. “Over nine months, the Initiative has moved 28 million tons of food onto the global market.”
But Patel says Russia is again trying to undermine the recently extended Initiative. “Twice in the last two weeks, the Russian Federation’s delegation at the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul has prevented the continued inspection of ships seeking to sail into Ukraine ports to collect grain.”
Now, Patel says Russian representatives are threatening the safety of commercial ships involved in the grain deal, further undermining global food security.
“By delaying shipments, restricting supplies, and keeping prices high for food-importing countries, As the G-7 foreign ministers made clear in their communique issued Tuesday from Karuizawa, Russia must stop using the world’s food as a weapon.”
Russia blockaded Ukraine’s Black Sea ports early in the war and destroyed farm facilities, driving up prices for wheat, corn, and fertilizer.
