Russia’s permanent envoy to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzia, says that “Kyiv is preventing 75 foreign ships from 17 countries from leaving its ports,” and reveals that Ukraine “is paying the price for the weapons provided by the West through grain.”
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Russian Envoy to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia: Kyiv continues to prevent 75 foreign ships from 17 countries from leaving its ports
Russia’s permanent envoy to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzia, affirmed that “Kyiv is avoiding in every possible way cooperation regarding the safe exit of ships from the Black Sea,” noting that it “continues to prevent 75 foreign ships from 17 countries from leaving its ports.”
“It is Ukraine, not Russia, that continues to prevent 75 foreign ships from 17 countries from leaving the ports of Nikolaev, Kherson, Chernomoresk, Mariupol, Uchakov, Odessa and Yuzhny,” Nebenzia said at a meeting of the UN Security Council on Thursday.
Nebenzia described Western accusations against Russia of preventing the movement of commercial ships and banning wheat shipments from Ukrainian ports as “disingenuous”, pointing out that “there is still a danger to navigation and infrastructure from Ukrainian mines that have escaped from their moorings along the coast of the Black Sea countries.”
The Russian diplomat stressed that “Russia is taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of civilian navigation in the Black and Azov seas,” noting that “Ukraine does not make such efforts,” explaining that “without a solution to this problem, it is not possible to talk about the possibility of exporting Ukrainian grain.” By the sea”.
With regard to the global food crisis, Nebenzia stressed that the crisis began long before the war in Ukraine, denying that Russia had a role in fueling it. He accused Western countries of being behind the “speculation in the food futures markets”, which is causing the crisis.
The Russian diplomat indicated that Russia could offer 25 million tons of grain for export through the port of Novorossiysk from August 1 until the end of the year, expressing Moscow’s suspicions that “Ukrainian grain is pumped to granaries in European countries as a price for the weapons it has obtained.” Kyiv”.
“Grain, according to Western politicians and media reports, is being exported from the country in the most active way – whether by rail or barges along the Danube, where does it go?” Nebenzia asked.
He stressed that “we have reasonable doubts that these grains will not meet the needs of the hungry south of the world, but are pumped to the granaries of European countries,” noting that in this way, “Ukraine pays for the weapons provided by the West.”
Statistics from the World Food Organization indicate that approximately 32% of the world’s wheat is produced in Russia and Ukraine, which have been witnessing a military escalation since last February that is reflected in the two countries’ agricultural exports.
The prices of wheat in European markets had already risen to an unprecedented level, Affected by the crisis in Ukraine.
AndMany Arab countries are affected The most important of which is Egypt by stopping wheat exports, if wheat imported from Russia and Ukraine constituted 70% of the total Egyptian wheat imports last year, and the wheat crisis could extend to Lebanon, Yemen, Algeria, Libya and other Arab countries.