'Putin Doesn't Care About Global Food Security': State Dept Slams Attacks On Ukrainian Ports

Washington D.C./17.08.23/Turan:  The United States said Wednesday that Russia's drone strikes on Ukraine's Danube infrastructure showed that Vladimir Putin 'doesn't care' about global food security, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

"It is unacceptable," State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told a daily briefing.

Earlier on Wednesday Kyiv said that Russian attack drones had damaged grain facilities at a port on the Danube, which has emerged as a key way to export grain from the breadbasket nation after the Kremlin Russia backed out of a UN-led agreement on safe passage in the Black Sea.

Patel called on Russia to "immediately" return to the Black Sea initiative. "The contrast here is quite sharp. Our Ukrainian partners are inspiring the world, while Russia starves it by weaponizing food," he added.

When asked by TURAN whether Moscow's targeting grain infrastructure was a war crime, Patel said, he wouldn't "assign a label" Russia's activities, however Moscow's continued disregard for food security, is "clear that that’s not something that the Russian Federation or President Putin care about."

He later on went to add, "... We have been clear about the need for accountability for the perpetrators of war crimes.  President Biden has also noted that the warrant issued against President Putin by the ICC is justified, and so we’re going to continue to work with Ukraine and other partners to expose what Russia is doing in Ukraine. "

TURAN also asked Patel about Türkiye's potential role in addressing the grain issue in light of Putin's forthcoming trip to Ankara by the end of this month.

"Our Turkish partners have been integral to getting the Black Sea Grain Initiative turned on in the first place, and they, of course, are important partners in the region," Patel added. "We think that any country that can play a role in getting the Russian Federation back into the Black Sea Grain Initiative would be a good thin"

Alex Raufoglu