Lavrov: Russian Grain Can’ t Enter Europe Due to Sanctions

Lavrov made his remarks in the face of accusations by Western countries that Russia is blocking Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea. Moscow has denied such allegations.  

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On Wednesday, the Foreign Minister said that Russian grain exports are unable to reach Europe due to EU sanctions on Moscow, which effectively block supplies.     

Addressing journalists in Moscow, Lavrov said that "although Western countries keep saying that grain has not been sanctioned, they for some reason fail to mention that the ships that transport Russian grain are in fact under sanctions." 

In this regard, he said that European ports ban access to ships carrying Russian grain. "There's no insurance available and in general Western sanctions have disrupted the logistical and financial infrastructure that Russia uses to export its own grain," Lavrov warned.

EU's fifth package of sanctions adopted in April covered banning Russian vessels from entering European ports. For his part, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov has said that Ukraine has blocked its ports by mining its territorial waters, thus preventing navigation. 

In this connection, the Russian Foreign Minister has previously said that if Ukraine clears its waterways of mines, the Russian Navy will ensure unimpeded passage of ships carrying Ukrainian grain.
 
According to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the UN has expressed concern over the food security crisis as the global threat to grain supplies has turned alarming for developing countries. He warned that the global food crisis could worsen since the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the sanctions that followed have had a negative impact on wheat prices and fertilizer availability.