The food crisis exacerbated by the war in Ukraine may see some relief, according to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who spoke on Wednesday.
He said that no breakthrough was imminent and that it could still be a bit free.
The war has effectively hindered the supply of grain and fertilizer from the war zone. Russia and Ukraine account for a third of the global wheat supply, while Russia is a major global source of fertilizer.
Guterres called for “rapid and decisive action to ensure a steady flow of food and energy”, including “lifting export restrictions, allocating surpluses and reserves to vulnerable populations and tackling food price increases to calm market volatility.”
– I think there is progress, but we are not there yet. These are complex things and the fact that everything is connected makes the negotiations extra complex, Guterres said at a press conference with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson in Stockholm.
Guerres traveled to Moscow and Kyiv earlier this year in an attempt to resume exports from both countries.
“As I said to the Security Council, I am hopeful, but there is still a way to go, and we are determined to make things happen,” he said.
Moscow has blamed Western sanctions for supply disruptions and has said Russia would allow Ukrainian wheat and Russian manure through the Black Sea if sanctions were eased.
During a trip to Bahrain on Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov placed the responsibility on Kyiv and the West.
He said Western countries “created many artificial problems by closing their ports to Russian ships, disrupting logistics and financial chains.”
Some information in this report comes from Reuters and Agence France Presse
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Source: sn.dk