The United States and Russia blamed each other on Thursday for the deteriorating food situation around the world as the war in Ukraine escalated.
Washington has called on Russia to allow the export of Ukrainian grain detained in Black Sea ports. Ukraine is one of the largest producers of wheat in the world.
“Stop blocking Black Sea ports. Allow the free flow of ships, trains and trucks carrying food from Ukraine,” Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said during a UN Security Council meeting.
“Stop threatening to stop the export of food and fertilizers from countries that criticize your aggressive war,” he said.
“The supply of food to millions of Ukrainians and millions more around the world has literally been held hostage by the Russian military,” Mr Blinken added.
Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzya, objected, saying his country was blamed for all the world’s troubles.
He said the world has long suffered from a food crisis caused by an inflationary spiral stemming from rising costs for insurance, logistics manuscripts and speculation in Western markets.
He claims that Ukraine’s ports are blocked by Ukraine itself, which he says has planted mines on the Black Sea coast.
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