Russian President Putin: Grain ships can cross, it’s up to Ukraine to de-mine Black Sea ports
Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected accusations that Russia is hindering the export of Ukrainian wheat, and said it was up to Ukraine to de-mine Black Sea ports.
Mr. Putin said Russia was ready to offer the Azov Sea ports of Mariupol and Berdyansk, which are now under Russian control, for the export of Ukrainian wheat, in an interview Friday with state television channel Rossiya 24. He said Russia would ensure the peaceful passage of Ukrainian wheat through ports it controls.
With the harvest soon to begin, an estimated 20 million tons of wheat are trapped in storage in Ukraine, which normally exports about 10% of the world’s wheat. Poland and Romania have stepped up to try to find alternative export routes.
Putin on Friday offered Belarus as an exit route for Ukrainian grain, but said that to do so would require the lifting of sanctions imposed on Belarus.
Putin added Russia wasn’t to blame for the food crisis. “We are now seeing attempts to shift the responsibility for what is happening on the world food market, the emerging problems in this market onto Russia,” he said.
Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal earlier this week accused Russia of deliberately orchestrating a global food crisis by blocking Ukrainian ports.
