European Council President Charles Michel accused Russia of using food supplies as an “invisible missile against developing countries” and blamed the Kremlin for the looming global food crisis, prompting Moscow’s ambassador to the UN to leave the Security Council.
Michel spoke directly to Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya at a council meeting on Monday, saying he saw millions of tons of grain and wheat stranded in containers and ships in the Ukrainian port of Odessa “because of Russian warships in the Black Sea” a few weeks ago.
He said Moscow’s attacks on Ukraine’s transport infrastructure and grain storage facilities, as well as its tanks, air strikes and mines, are preventing Ukraine from planting and harvesting.
“This raises food prices, pushes people into poverty and destabilizes entire regions,” Michelle said. “Russia is solely responsible for this impending food crisis. Russia alone. “
Michelle accused Russian forces of stealing grain from areas in Ukraine they occupied, “passing the blame on to others”, calling it “cowardly” and “propaganda, pure and simple”.
Nebenzia left, giving Russia the place of another diplomat. Russia’s deputy ambassador to the UN, Dmitry Polyansky, later told Russia’s Telegram channel that Michel’s comments were “so harsh” that the Russian ambassador left the Security Council.
Nebenzia later told Reuters, “I couldn’t stay,” saying it was because of “the lies that Charles Michel came here to spread.”
Amid the deteriorating global food crisis, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said there were “credible reports” that Russia was “stealing” grain exports from Ukraine in order to sell them for profit. Blinken said the alleged theft was part of Russia’s wider actions during the war in Ukraine, which affected Ukraine’s ability to export its wheat crop.
Prices of cereals, cooking oil, fuel and fertilizers have risen since the invasion, which began on February 24th. Russia and Ukraine account for nearly a third of the world’s wheat supplies, while Russia is also an exporter of fertilizers and Ukraine is an exporter of corn and sunflower oil.
With the Associated Press and Reuters
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