Quote (Vastet @ 5 Aug 2023 06:20)
Why shouldn't they? NATO weaponized all kinds of shit against Russia from trade to money to insurance to agriculture and much more. Russia is weaponizing what it can in response, tit for tat. Only hypocrites complain when the person they're bullying returns the favour.
NATO is mostly trying to hit Russia's economy while Russia is hitting Ukraine's civilian population. And yes, the shenanigans with the grain deal and fertilizer are clearly a Russian attempt at driving up global food prices so that there's more international pressure on Ukraine accept the gains Russia made so far.
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And again: note that the African leaders were directly and unequivocally calling Putin out on it when they met with him a couple of days ago. You guys love to jump at any news which shows the West's slipping clout on the international stage, for example when countries like South Africa abstained on UN resolutions or refused to join Western sanctions against Russia... yet you remained dead silent on this story.
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"We would like the Black Sea initiative to be implemented and that the Black Sea should be open," South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said. "We are not here to plead for donations for the African continent."
https://www.npr.org/2023/07/30/1190968770/african-leaders-leave-russia-summit-without-grain-deal-or-path-to-peace-in-ukraiQuote
"The disruptions of energy and grain supplies must end immediately. The grain deal must be extended for the benefit of all the peoples of the world, Africans in particular." - African Union Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat
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African leaders pressed Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday to move ahead with their plan to end the Ukraine conflict.
[...]
Reuters reported in June that the African plan floats a series of possible steps to defuse the conflict, including a Russian troop pull-back, removal of Russian tactical nuclear weapons from Belarus, suspension of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against Putin, and sanctions relief. Putin gave it a cool reception when African leaders presented it to him last month.
[...]
Congo Republic President Denis Sassou Nguesso said the initiative "deserves the closest attention", calling "urgently" for peace.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa told Putin: "We feel that we have a right to call for peace - the ongoing conflict also negatively affects us."
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At the summit, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi urged Russia to revive the Black Sea grain deal which, until Moscow refused to renew it last week, had granted Ukraine a "safe corridor" to export grain from its seaports despite the conflict.
Egypt is a big buyer of grain via the Black Sea route, and Sisi told the summit it was "essential to reach agreement" on reviving the deal.
https://www.reuters.com/world/putin-tells-african-leaders-moscow-is-studying-their-ukraine-proposal-2023-07-28/----------------------------------------------------------------------
Also note the duplicity in the statements made by Putin:
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Putin in a press conference late Saturday following the Russia-Africa summit said Russia's termination of the grain deal earlier this month caused a rise in grain prices that benefits Russian companies.
[...]
Putin responded [to Sisi's urging for a resumption of the grain deal] by arguing, as he has in the past, that rising world food prices were a consequence of Western policy mistakes long predating the Ukraine war.
So Putin on the one hand argues that his termination of the grain deal has caused grain prices to rise, but on the other hand argues that the West is responsible for rising world food prices.
This post was edited by Black XistenZ on Aug 5 2023 01:01pm