The US Department of the Treasury has assured that it does not prohibit transactions related to agricultural products such as fertilizers, medical equipment, medical machines or test kits for the new coronavirus.
The US government has announced it will not ban the sale of agricultural products from Russia, once again rejecting Moscow’s accusations that Western sanctions, and not Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine, are the cause of the global food crisis.
The US Department of the Treasury, releasing a press release and presentation of the exemptions from the US sanctionsemphasized that it does not prevent transactions related to the production, sale or transport of agricultural equipment and agricultural products.
Furthermore, the ministry assured that it does not prohibit transactions related to agricultural products such as fertilizers, medical equipment, medical machines or test kits for the new coronavirus.
The expansion of the exemptions “further reaffirms that US sanctions against Russia in response to its unprovoked and unjustified war against Ukraine do not raise a barrier to trade in agricultural and medical supplies“, according to the press release of the US Treasury Department.
“(Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s war has strangled agricultural and food production,” according to the same source, who accuses the Kremlin of “using food as a weapon” and “stealing grain and agricultural material” from Ukraine and “imposes a blockade on the Black Sea”.
The announcement follows signs of progress in Russia-Ukraine talks held in Ukraine over the possibility of allowing grain shipments to leave the country.
Both Ukraine and Russia are major grain exporters internationally. Russia also tops the world rankings for fertilizer exports, while Ukraine is a major producer of corn and sunflower oil. Kyiv says millions of tonnes of wheat have been blocked in Odesa ports due to the presence of Russian warships offshore and the laying of mines to protect Ukrainian authorities.
Amidst the war, which broke out on February 24, the prices of basic food products have skyrocketed around the world and the risk of famine, especially in Africa, is increasing.
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