Russian MoFA spokesperson alleges West's embargoes on Kremlin led to mounting food prices

As war rages on unabated in Ukraine, a spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson opined on the widely debated topic of spiking food prices and stated that it has been caused due to the embargoes imposed against the Kremlin. Maria Zakharova, in a statement released on Telegram, stated that the West's sanctions against Russia have resulted in a price surge. In the statement, Zakharova chastised German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock for her remarks wherein the latter warned that Russia's actions have been causing a sharp spike in food prices.

In the statement, Zakharova noted that Annalena Baerbock has said that the crisis in Ukraine could pave the way to global famine as Russia's actions have halted the supplies throughout the world. The Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, in retort, argued that the sanctions imposed against Russia were the "direct reason" for the price rise and underscored that the ineptitude to understand it indicates "either stupidity or deliberate misleading of the public." It is pertinent to mention here that ever since the onset of the invasion, several EU nations have imposed sanctions against Russia for its military aggression. Zakharova, however, blamed the West for the "collapse of Ukraine's statehood" and added that those involved in it included predecessors of Annalena Baerbock. She further claimed that they interfered in the situation of Ukraine and also outlined the domestic and foreign policy of Ukraine in "manual mode."

"Prices are rising due to sanctions imposed by the collective West, under pressure from the United States. This is if we talk about the direct reason. Failure to understand this is a sign of either stupidity or deliberate misleading of the public," Maria Zakharova said in the statement released on Telegram. 

Russian offensive triggering world food crisis, alleges G7

The statement of Maria Zakharova comes after the Group of Seven on Saturday, 14 May, warned that the war in Ukraine is driving a global food and energy crisis. The Group of Seven called for measures that needed to be adopted to unblock stores of grain that have been halted by Russia in Ukraine, according to AP. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who hosted a meeting of G7 diplomats, stated that the war has turned into a "global crisis." Baerbock further warned that around 50 million people, particularly in Africa and the Middle East, would face hunger in the coming months unless they do not take measures to release Ukrainian grain. According to AP, the Group of Seven (G7) after the three-day meeting said that the Russian military offensive in Ukraine has resulted in the most severe food and energy crises in recent history" and warned that it now poses threat to the most vulnerable in the world. I

Inputs from AP

Image: AP