Russia on Saturday known as the West an “empire of lies” and mentioned the most recent U.N. proposals to revive the Black Sea grain deal wouldn’t take off once more as a result of they don’t ship on guarantees made to Moscow.
Remarks by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov got here after every week of intense international diplomacy on the annual gathering of world leaders at U.N. headquarters in New York, the place Ukraine and its Western allies sought to drum up assist for Kyiv because it fights in opposition to Russia’s invasion.
In a letter to Lavrov final month, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres outlined 4 measures the U.N. may facilitate to enhance Russia’s grain and fertilizer exports in a bid to persuade Moscow to return to the Black Sea deal, which allowed Ukraine to export grain by means of the hall and helped tackle a worldwide meals scarcity.
“We explained to the Secretary-General why his proposals won’t work. We accept them. They’re not realistic. They cannot be implemented,” Lavrov mentioned.
He mentioned a 10-point peace plan promoted by Kyiv was “completely not feasible” and that the battle could be resolved on the battlefield if Ukraine and the West caught to it.
Lavrov added that Moscow left the Black Sea grain initiative as a result of guarantees made to Russia – together with eradicating sanctions on a Russian financial institution and reconnecting it to the worldwide SWIFT system – had not been met.
‘Emire of lies’
Russia give up the deal in July, a yr after it was brokered by the U.N. and Türkiye to fight a worldwide meals disaster that the U.N. mentioned was worsened by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – each main international grain exporters.
Ukraine exported practically 33 million metric tons of grains below the pact, which the U.N. mentioned benefited poor states by serving to decrease meals costs by greater than 20% globally.
Lavrov didn’t cross paths with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who appeared in particular person on the U.N. Security Council earlier within the week for the primary time since Russia’s invasion to enchantment for assist in opposition to Moscow.
Lavrov mentioned he would go to Pyongyang subsequent month to proceed negotiations along with his counterpart there off the again of latest agreements made by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean chief Kim Jong Un in Moscow.
Lavrov accused the West of a neo-colonial mindset in its overtures to the Global South to win backing for Ukraine within the battle. Instead, Lavrov spoke of a “global majority” that was being duped by the West, which he described as an “empire of lies.”
Source: www.dailysabah.com