Blinken says reports of Russia stealing Ukraine grain for profit ‘credible’
- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Russia of stealing Ukraine’s grain and selling it for profit
- EU blames Russia for food crisis, Russian UN envoy walks out of UN Security Council meeting
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken gave support to reports that Russia has stolen grain from Ukraine for resale, even as Moscow blocks the country from exporting its own corn.
“There are credible reports … that Russia is pilfering Ukraine’s grain exports to sell for its own profit,” Blinken said at a State Department conference on food security issues arising from the invasion of Ukraine.
“Now, Russia is hoarding its food exports as well,” Blinken added, outlining the reasons for the sharp surge in global prices for wheat and other grains, and looming shortages.
The war “is having a devastating impact on global food security because Ukraine is one of the breadbaskets of the world,” Blinken said on Monday.
Ukraine has accused Russia of shipping Ukrainian grain to countries including Türkiye* and Syria. The New York Times reported Monday that a number of freight vessels have departed Russia-controlled ports with what US officials have described as “stolen Ukrainian grain”.
It said that the United States has alerted 14 countries, mostly in Africa, about the shipments, as many of them are dependent on grain imports and already face severely constrained supplies.