Moscow says it is ready to make a “significant contribution” to avoiding a global food crisis if the West lifts sanctions imposed on Russia over Ukraine.
Russia President, Vladimir Putin, made the comment in a telephone call with Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi.
The Kremlin said in a statement after the call President Putin also spoke about the “steps taken to ensure safety of navigation, including the daily opening of humanitarian corridors for the exit of civilian ships from the ports of the Azov and Black Sea, which is impeded by the Ukrainian side”.
Ukrainian farmers have 20 million tonnes of grain they cannot get to international markets, and a new harvest is about to begin.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, has previously described as “blackmail” the offer from Russia to lift its blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea ports, in exchange for the lifting of sanctions.
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