Putin claimed: 'Ukrainian grain goes to Europe, not Africa'

Putin claimed: 'Ukrainian grain goes to Europe, not Africa'

The Russian president claims that most of Ukraine's grain goes to the EU, not the developing countries. putin threatened to limit the grain corridor.

Putin threatens to limit Ukraine's Black Sea grain exports

The Russian president claims that most of Ukraine's grain goes to the EU, not the developing countries.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday accused EU countries of diverting all Black Sea grain to them and urged them to limit grain exports from Ukraine.

Speaking at the plenary meeting of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia, Putin accused Western countries of buying most of Ukraine's grain exported via the Black Sea, adding that he would discuss this issue with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who mediated the deal.

"I will meet with Mr. Erdogan"

"We should probably consider limiting destinations for grain exports and I will discuss this with Turkish President Erdogan, because he and I came up with this plan," he added.

The agreement, reached at the end of July, offers hope to help millions of people facing hunger worldwide as a result of war-induced food prices in Ukraine, a major agricultural exporter. Ukraine's grain is critical to global food price stability, especially in parts of the world that are heavily dependent on Kiev's wheat imports.

excluded Turkey.

Putin challenged this narrative in his speech. "With the exception of Turkey as an intermediary country, almost all of the grain exported from ukraine flows to the European Union, not to the poorest countries," Putin said. Said.

Only 2 out of 87 ships went to Africa

He announced that only two of the 87 ships sailing under the Black Sea agreement were sent to developing countries.

However, according to UN data, more than 20 ships (excluding those to Turkey) are going to developing and least developed countries. The final destination of the six ships is Egypt, the others to Djibouti, Yemen and Sudan.

The Russian leader accused the West of "deceiving developing countries".

"We need to help the poorest countries first and foremost. That's not what's happening right now. And I can tell you that this is the result of reckless actions by the elites of the US, UK and EU. They are operating under a political illusion."

After invading Ukraine, Russia made a concerted effort to take developing countries to court and sought to strengthen its partnerships with other parts of the world while experiencing a decline in relations with the West. He tried to prove that the rise in food prices was the result of Western sanctions, not Russia's invasion of Ukraine.