Russia's FM Lavrov slams West & Ukraine for accusing Moscow of 'exporting hunger' amid war

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov lambasted the West and Ukraine for accusing Russia of "exporting hunger" amid the ongoing ravaging in Eastern Europe. He claimed that Ukraine along with the West is attempting to shift the responsibility "from a sick head to a healthy one." " I would like to emphasize that the speculations of Western and Ukrainian propaganda that Russia allegedly "exports hunger" are absolutely groundless. In fact, they represent another attempt to shift responsibility from a sick head to a healthy one," Lavrov stated, as per a press release by the Russian Foreign Ministry.  

Further, the Russian Foreign Minister also accused the collective West of disrupting the commodity and food flows by employing the technique of currency emission during the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Lavrov, the move worsened the situation in developing nations that depend on food imports. "It was then that a difficult situation began to take shape in the food market. Western sanctions imposed against Russia in recent months further exacerbated the negative trends," he claimed. 

Russia understands importance of socially significant products' deliveries: Lavrov

Speaking further, he claimed Russia fully understands that food security is currently high on the international agenda. According to him, the government is well aware of the importance of Russian deliveries of socially significant products, including food, to many countries of the world. "We are aware that these supplies play an important role in maintaining social stability, as well as achieving the milestones envisaged by the UN Sustainable Development Goals," he remarked, as per the press release. He also stressed that Russia will continue to pursue a peaceful foreign policy and play a balancing role in international affairs.   

Lavrov accuses UN chief for persisting global food crisis

Earlier in the month of June, the Russian Foreign Minister accused United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for "not taking enough steps to find a solution to the world's food crisis." "The UN secretary-general is delaying a solution to the food crisis through his actions, he does not allow sending grain as soon as possible. This is regrettable," TASS quoted Lavrov as saying. He went on to say that the Kremlin has been concerned about how slowly the UN responded to the proposals for grain transportation. 

Image: AP