GENEVA, September 14. /TASS/. The grain exported from Ukraine won’t save the world from the threat of famine, instead it will just line the pockets of the EU, Russian diplomat Ilya Barmin told a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, emphasizing that almost all grain "has ended up in European Union countries" instead of going to the developing world.
"Despite the hypocritical statements from European and international officials, it is becoming finally clear to everyone that the supply of Ukrainian food will only enrich EU countries, instead of saving the world from the threat of starvation," the diplomat stressed.
"For several months, Western nations, including those present here, were throwing fits over a food crisis and the need to unblock Ukrainian ports ‘in order to save the world from hunger’," Barmin recounted. However, it has been almost two months since the July grain deal was concluded in Istanbul. Meanwhile, "food prices keep rising." This happens because "almost all grain ended up in European Union countries instead of going to the developing countries that badly need it."
"Under a similar scheme, Western nations, which themselves imposed sanctions against our country, are now in a frenzy over the energy crisis that they themselves have created," the Russian diplomat pointed out.
The Istanbul grain deal turned out to be "another outrageous scam," since almost all the agricultural products shipped from Ukraine have gone to EU countries, while Russia and the poorest economies were "merely ditched," Russian President Vladimir Putin told a plenary meeting of the Eastern Economic Forum last Wednesday.
Global food prices are still surging because of the restrictions on Russian exports, which are still in effect, regardless of the fact, they were officially waived from sanctions.
On July 22, a package of documents on the supply of food and fertilizers to international markets was signed in Istanbul. In particular, thanks to the memorandum concluded by Russia and the UN, the global community has joined the endeavor to remove those anti-Russian restrictions that impede the export of these vital goods. Another document approved a mechanism for the export of grain from Ukraine-controlled Black Sea ports. Based on the deal between Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the UN, a coordination center was set up, which ensures the inspection of ships carrying grain, and also prevents the smuggling of weapons and attempts at provocations.