U.S. Sharply Rejects Putin's Allegations

U.S. State Department on Wednesday sharly rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin's allegations against the West.

Addressing the plenary assembly of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, the Kremlin leader threatened to limit Ukraine’s Black Sea grain exports claiming falsely that "most of Ukraine’s grain is going to the EU, not developing nations." He also maintained that the rise in food prices was "the work of Western sanctions."

Vedant Patel, Department's deputy spokesperson, told TURAN's Washington correspondent during daily briefing that the Black Sea Grain Initiative is a humanitarian arrangement to bring desperately needed food to the world's hungry populations and that any allegation or notion that the U.S. sanctions are standing in the way of that are "just simply not true."

As a matter of fact, U.S. sanctions have always had clear exemptions for food and fertilizer, and "our sanctions have never targeted humanitarian assistance", Patel said.

"Russia must continue to live up to its commitments through the Black Grain Sea Initiative," he added.

Alex Raufoglu

Washington D.C.