Russia blames West for Ukraine grain crisis

The West's attempt to isolate Russia as punishment have sent the price of grain, cooking oil, fertilizer and energy soaring, hurting global growth.

While rejecting the accusations that Russia’s responsibility for reducing grain export by imposing a naval blockade on Ukraine, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the West was to blame for the situation.

"We categorically reject these accusations and, on the contrary, accuse Western countries that they have taken a number of illegal actions that led to this," Peskov told reporters, Reuters reported.

They (the West) must cancel those illegal decisions that prevent the chartering of ships, that prevent the export of grain, and so on" so that supplies can resume, Peskov said.

Russia and Ukraine together account for nearly a third of global wheat supplies. Chicago wheat futures hit a record price in March on supply concerns, and are still up by 30% since Feb. 24.

Ukraine is also a major exporter of corn, barley, sunflower oil and rapeseed oil, while Russia and Belarus - which has backed Moscow in the war and is also under sanctions - account for over 40% of global exports of the crop nutrient potash.

MA/PR