The United States accused Russia on Tuesday of having decided to let the inhabitants of developing countries “starve” after breaking an agreement that allowed the export of Ukrainian grain.
“ Any decision by the Kremlin to stop this initiative is essentially a statement that Moscow does not care” about feeding populations in underdeveloped nations, said State Department spokesman Ned Price.
The agency which supervises the July agreement, also negotiated by Turkey and the UN, assured that grain exports will stop from Wednesday after Russia announced its withdrawal from the pact over the weekend.
“Moscow doesn’t care if the world goes hungry. Moscow doesn’t care if people starve. Moscow doesn’t care if the world’s food insecurity crisis worsens,” Price told reporters.
Reactivate the pact
Price added that the United States supported the efforts of the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, to reactivate the pact.
The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has demanded security guarantees from Ukraine, which he invaded in February. Moscow accused kyiv of using the food corridor to attack Russian ships in Crimea. But Price described Moscow’s demand as “extortion”.
The spokesman stressed that, according to UN figures, the agreement allowed the shipment of almost 10 million metric tons of grain, which has helped alleviate world food prices that had soared after the invasion of Ukraine, one of the main producers in the world.