Putin predicts a humanitarian catastrophe and talks about the reality of grain convoys leaving Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a speech during the plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum, predicted a looming humanitarian catastrophe; certainly, food problems will increase in the world, especially in poor countries.

Putin said that the “Western sanctions fever” poses a threat to the whole world, considering that Western countries’ purchase of foodstuffs causes prices to rise and the matter may turn into a tragedy for poor countries.

The Russian president revealed that only 3% of the wheat that exited from Ukraine went to poor countries and the rest to Western countries. 

“Almost all the grain exported from Ukraine is not sent to developing countries and the poorest countries, but to the European Union,” he said.

Speaking about inflation and currencies, Putin stated that inflation in Russia is declining and according to the results for the year it will be at 12%, noting that “evidences confirm the decline in confidence in the dollar, the euro and the sterling”.

He said that one of the reasons for closing businesses in Europe was the severing of trade ties with Russia, and that the United States had undermined the foundations of the global economic order.

The Russian president refused to admit that Russia was using energy as a weapon against Europe, days after Russian gas shipments through the Nord Stream pipeline stopped.

And Putin described the words of Western countries and their claim that Russia is using energy as a weapon, as empty talk. 

He added: “Which weapon do we use?

We provide the necessary quantities according to the requests of the importing countries”.

“Give us a turbine and we’ll re-launch Nord Stream tomorrow,” the Russian president continued, in front of Asian economic and political leaders.

These statements came in response to the ongoing controversy after the Russian “Gazprom” group announced, last Friday, that the work of the “Nord Stream” pipeline vital to supplying Europe with gas completely, until the completion of the repair of a turbine in it, after it was scheduled to resume work Saturday, following the maintenance process.

This announcement reinforced European countries’ fears of a complete cut-off of Russian gas in Europe, before the onset of winter and against the backdrop of accelerating energy price inflation.

The European Union accuses Moscow of using gas shipments as a pressure weapon in the context of the conflict in Ukraine. 

For its part, Moscow says sanctions imposed over its invasion of Ukraine have caused a shortage of spare parts, threatening Nord Stream’s operation.

According to Putin, Russia will have no problems selling its vast energy resources around the world, despite sanctions aimed at depriving the Kremlin of vital energy revenues.

The Russian president threatened the Western camp, stressing that his country would stop gas and oil shipments if a price ceiling was set. 

He added that Germany and Western sanctions were responsible for the failure to operate the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, and that Ukraine and Poland had decided on their own to shut down other gas pipelines to Europe.

Putin criticized Europe for setting a ceiling on the price of Russian gas, describing it as a “stupid” move, saying that this would lead to higher prices and that global demand for Russian energy was high.

“We’re ready (to resume exports via Nord Stream) tomorrow,” he said, addressing the Europeans, adding, “All you have to do is press a button,” reminding that it was not Russia that “imposed sanctions”. 

“But we have reached a dead end because of Western sanctions” on Moscow, he added.

Putin described isolating Russia as “impossible”, even despite the unprecedented sanctions imposed by Western countries on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.

“No matter how much some want to isolate Russia, it is impossible to achieve this,” he said.