Blinken on resuming grain deal: We want to see that food on world markets

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said this on Thursday on the sidelines of the UN Security Council, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"We want to see that food on world markets. We want everyone to benefit from the lower prices," the U.S. Secretary of State emphasized.

He again criticized the Kremlin's position on withdrawing from the Black Sea Grain Initiative and refuted Russia's claims that U.S. sanctions were allegedly hindering the export of their agricultural products.

"The sanctions imposed by us and others for Russia's aggression in Ukraine have from day one exempted its own food products. And that includes not just the food products, but the means to ship them and insure them," said Blinken.

He emphasized that the United States is interested in every country being able to freely and safely export its food, including Russia.

At the same time, Blinken stressed that the United States is simultaneously eyeing all possibilities in order to maximize the export of grain from Ukraine, including land, river, and partly sea routes. However, he said, it will be very difficult to offset the volumes transported under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, especially given that Russia is deliberately targeting grain silos, ports, and other grain transportation infrastructure.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, an open discussion at the UN Security Council on hunger and global food security caused by conflicts took place in New York on Thursday. The meeting was chaired by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.