Russia accused of weaponising food
The UK Foreign Office has accused Russia of using “food as a weapon” at the expense of the world’s most vulnerable, after the Kremlin declared that the landmark deal allowing the safe passage of Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea has “de facto ended.”
Moscow announced its decision to pull out of the pact – brokered by the UN and Turkey last July – just hours after it condemned Ukrainian forces for launching a “terrorist attack” on the Kerch bridge, Russia’s only road connection to Crimea. It also accused Kyiv’s western allies of helping to carry out the ambush.
The Kremlin claims this didn’t influence its decision on the Black Sea grain deal. The deal was due to expire tonight anyway, and Russia was already threatening not to renew it. Even so, sabotage of the bridge will have put paid to any last minute change of heart.
Two Russian civilians were reportedly killed, with their daughter taken to hospital with serious injuries, after explosions hit the bridge in the early hours of this morning. Ukrainian security sources have claimed responsibility for the attack, telling the BBC that it was carried out using water-based drones.
This is the second time Kyiv has targeted the Kerch bridge – with the former attack taking place on Putin’s birthday last October.
It’s easy to see why Kerch has become a target. Not only does the bridge – opened five years ago by Putin – act as a major supply route for Russian military equipment but it has become a hated symbol of Russian occupation of the Crimean Peninsula.
According to Serhiy Cherevaty, the spokesman for Ukraine’s eastern group of forces, soldiers on the frontline responded to news of the explosion with “a healthy dose of schadenfreude”.
Early footage suggests only the road surface of the bridge has been affected but the damage could take weeks or month to repair.
On the face of it, the explosion may seem like the more dramatic event of the day but an end to the grain deal is likely to have much longer lasting consequences.
When Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, its naval vessels blockaded Ukraine’s ports, trapping around 20 million tonnes of grain. Given that Ukraine is one of the largest exporters of sunflower, maize, wheat and barley, global food prices soared as a result.
The deal to resume these exports offered a lifeline both to Ukraine’s farmers and to many of the world’s most food-insecure nations. In 2022, over half of the wheat grain bought by the UN’s World Food Programme came from Ukraine.
Since the grain deal was signed, global food prices have decreased by around 20%. The fear now is that an end to the deal will once again send food inflation soaring.
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said this morning that he will call Putin directly in an attempt to persuade him to keep this “humanitarian corridor” open.
But Erdogan has set himself a tough task. While “neutral” Turkey was instrumental in brokering the initial grain deal, Erdogan’s attempts to seemingly cosy up to Kyiv’s allies at last week’s Nato summit will be at the forefront of Putin’s mind. The Russian president may well not be in the mood to listen to his Turkish counterpart.
Write to us with your comments to be considered for publication at letters@reaction.life