On the other side, Russia, through the country’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, is trying to send its own message – a response to the US, that the sanctions against Moscow for the six-month invasion ordered by the Kremlin in the country, led to the interruption of vital grain supplies on the world market.
Miltos Sakellaris
THE Samantha Power gained wide recognition as a champion of human rights and was chosen by the President of the United States of America, Joe Biden to lead the agency that distributes billions of dollars in foreign aid, including providing more food aid than anyone else in the world.
But her role has changed since Russia invaded Ukraine and now she has been charged with a new task, as the Associated Press writes: to deal with Russia’s messages abroad.
As administrator of the US Agency for International Development, is now facing a global food crisis, driven by local conflicts, the economic turmoil of the pandemic and drought and the other extremes of climate change. As the Biden administration often reports, the problems have been exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, deepening food shortages and rising prices everywhere. Power last month visited several families and people in Africa, watched voluntary and non-volunteer workers in the areas giving food to children in need and announced new food aid.
On the other side, Russia, through the country’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, is trying to send its own message – a response to USAthat sanctions against Moscow over the Kremlin-ordered six-month invasion of the country have led to the disruption of vital supplies of grain to the world market.
“What we are not going to do, any of us in the administration, is allow the Russian Federation, which still says it is not at war in Ukraine, to blame the latest increase in food and fertilizer prices on the United States.” , Power told The Associated Press from her office in Washington. “People, especially when faced with such a huge crisis, really know the difference about whether you’re providing emergency humanitarian aid… or whether it’s one step away from a new Cold WarPower said. “Mr. Lavrov may have traveled to Africa after my trip, but those countries have received nothing tangible from Russia, other than lies and misinformation“, he added in the statements. “Even African officials whose governments refused to join the official UN condemnation earlier this year of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine say they have privately called Russian leaders to urge Russia to leave Ukraine’s grain ports,” he said.
Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine, creating new food and energy shortages at a time when there were record numbers of people facing hunger on the planet, Power has focused on the food crisis. The estimated number of people around the world facing the problem of malnutrition rose to 828 million this year, Power said, with many in immediate need. Even in countries outside areas where aid groups are warning of famine, high prices of food intensifies political unrest, as in the overthrow of the Sri Lankan government this summer. “Most analysts would be very surprised if the Sri Lankan government was the last to fallPower noted.
“This, I cannot say it more clearly, is the worst food crisis of our livesPower told the AP. As she pointed out in the interview, there have been some signs of hope in recent weeks after Russia gave Ukraine the green light to send its first grain ship in months out of a blockaded Russian port.
But in East Africa and in countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia there is currently a huge problem.
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