Putin's 'handful of donations' will have no impact, UN says
After Putin guaranteed grain to 6 African countries at the Russia-Africa summit, the United Nations says this 'handful of donations' will do nothing. Russian President Putin has claimed that 70 percent of grain exported through the Black Sea Grain Agreement goes to the West.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday that "handful of donations to some countries" will not fix the grain shortage after the Black Sea Grain Agreement was suspended by Russia.
Guterres' statement came after Russian President Vladimir Putin assured six countries at the Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg that Russian grain would "replace Ukrainian grain".
In his opening remarks at the summit on Thursday, Putin said Russia was expecting a record grain harvest. Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Eritrea, Mali, Somalia, Mali, Somalia and Zimbabwe were announced as the countries he guaranteed to send grain to.
PUTIN'S CLAIM THAT 'GRAIN GOES TO THE WEST'
At the summit, Putin claimed that more than 70 percent of the grain exported through the deal went to countries with above-average incomes, including the European Union.
The Russian leader said that the poorest countries were 'ruined' and that they would pay compensation for this. "In the coming months we will be able to ensure free supplies of 25,000 to 50,000 tons of grain," he said.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Last week, the Kremlin suspended the Black Sea Grain Agreement, which was supposed to bring Ukrainian grain to global markets, after Russia failed to fulfill its commitments.
The agreement allowed about 33 million tons of grain to leave Ukrainian ports last year, helping to stabilize global food prices and prevent famines.
Guterres said on Monday that the rise in world food prices following the suspension of the agreement and Russia's bombing of Danube river ports used by Ukraine as export routes was "especially devastating for vulnerable countries struggling to feed their people".
Source: rfi
