No Script

Please Wait...

Al-Ahed Telegram

US: Global Food Crisis Not Linked to Sanctions

US: Global Food Crisis Not Linked to Sanctions
folder_openUnited States access_timeone year ago
starAdd to favorites

By Staff, Agencies 

Despite sounding the alarm about rising global food prices, the US has no intention of lifting restrictions on Russian trade, US State Department spokesman Ned Price said.

Moscow says they affect its ability to export food and fertilizers, but that is a “lie,” he claimed.

“We certainly won’t lift our sanctions in response to empty promises, and we’ve heard empty promises before from the Russian Federation,” Price said when asked if Washington would waiver the restrictions as Moscow suggested.

The US accused Russia of causing a surge in food prices by continuing its military action in Ukraine. Western nations called on Russia to facilitate the export of grain from Ukraine, but Moscow said the situation was complex and not as one-sided as Western nations claim it to be.

One of the latest comments on the issue came from Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko on Wednesday. He said alleviating the food crisis would require “lifting sanctions imposed on Russian exports and financial transactions” as well as “removing sea mines from all Ukrainian ports”.

Price dismissed this statement and others made by Russian officials as a series of “lies” and “disinformation.”

“US sanctions are not causing disruptions to Russia’s agricultural exports. The fact is that US sanctions were specifically designed to allow for the export of agricultural commodities and fertilizer from Russia,” he alleged.

Comments