Guterres favours simultaneous exports of Russian, Ukrainian grain
In an interview to the national broadcaster of Belarus aired on Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the UN head had been trying to agree on transportation of Ukrainian grain first
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres believes that exports of Russian and Ukrainian grain to the global market should begin simultaneously, said his spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
“The Secretary-General, in his efforts to bring more food to the global markets, has always proposed a package deal that would include Russia and Ukraine simultaneously,” the spokesman said.
In an interview to the national broadcaster of Belarus aired on Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the UN head had been trying to agree on transportation of Ukrainian grain first.
In his words, the secretary-general is trying to solve the issue of transporting grain from Ukrainian ports without taking into account Russia’s daily announcements of humanitarian corridors for the purpose.
The situation in Ukraine and the large-scale sanctions, imposed by the US and the EU on Russia, caused disruption of grain shipments, which increases the risk of a food crisis in a number of states. Since the beginning of the year, wheat and corn prices have increased significantly.
During the May 21 UN Security Council meeting, it was noted that global wheat reserves will last for just 10 weeks, and the situation is worse than back during the 2007-2008 years.
The food crisis broke out long before the start of Russia’s special operation in Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said earlier. The crisis was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, while the current situation exacerbated the problem. A key reason behind latest food supply disruptions are Western sanctions.
