Russia demands the lifting of sanctions in exchange for the release of ships carrying food from Ukraine

Russia reportedly said on Wednesday it was ready to provide humanitarian corridor for ships carrying food to leave Ukraine – but that some sanctions would need to be lifted.

“We have repeatedly stated at this point that solving the food problem requires a comprehensive approach, including the lifting of sanctions on Russian exports and financial transactions,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko was quoted as saying. Interfax news agency.

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“It also requires the Ukrainian side to clear mines from all ports where ships dock. Russia is ready to provide the necessary humanitarian corridor, which it does every day,” he said.

The official said that Western ships escorting Ukrainian ships carrying grain “would seriously aggravate the situation in the Black Sea,” and told RIA he was in contact with the United Nations.

Western powers are discussing the idea of ​​creating “safe corridors” for the export of grain from Ukraine.

Black Sea ports have been closed since the Russian invasion in February, and more than 20 million tons of grain are stuck in silos there.

Russia and Ukraine account for nearly a third of the world’s wheat supply, and Ukraine is also a major exporter of corn and sunflower oil.

The total area planted with grain is already expected to be up to 30% smaller than last year.

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“Concern about access to affordable food globally is hitting the surface,” Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, said this week.

As air strikes continued in Ukraine’s eastern region, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen accused Russia on Tuesday of deliberately bombing grain depots.

“Russia is now hoarding its food exports as a form of blackmail – curbing supplies to increase world prices, or trading wheat in exchange for political support,” she said. “This is the use of hunger and grain to exercise power.”

Von der Leyen noted that vulnerable groups of the population will suffer the most.

The Executive Director of the World Food Program David Beasley warned the Associated Press that if Ukraine’s supplies remain off the market, the world could face a food availability problem in the next 10 to 12 months.

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In an intelligence update on Wednesday, Britain’s Ministry of Defense said Ukraine’s land export mechanisms were “unlikely to replace the shortage in shipping capacity caused by the Russian blockade”.

“The fighting has already put indirect pressures on world grain prices,” she noted. “While the threat of a Russian naval blockade continues to deter commercial shipping from reaching Ukrainian ports, the resulting supply shortages will drive up prices for many essential products.”

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.