WASHINGTON: Russia's war in Ukraine is to blame for exacerbating "already dire" world food insecurity, with price and supply shocks adding to global inflationary pressures, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Tuesday (Apr 19).
Even before the war, over 800 million people - or 10 per cent of the global population - were suffering from chronic food insecurity, Yellen said, and estimates showed higher food prices alone could push at least 10 million more people into poverty.
Yellen told a high-level panel countries should avoid export bans that could further boost prices, while stepping up support for vulnerable populations and smallholder farmers, a message underscored by German Finance Minister Christian Lindner.
"I want to be clear: Russia’s actions are responsible for this," Yellen said, adding that the United States was working urgently with partners and allies to "help mitigate the effects of Russia’s reckless war on the world’s most vulnerable".
Russia calls its Feb 24 invasion a "special military operation" to "denazify" Ukraine.
Lindner, speaking on behalf of Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies, said targeted and coordinated action was needed, but called on all countries to "keep agricultural markets open, not stockpile and not withhold stocks, and not impose unjustified export restrictions on agricultural products or nutrients".
Of course, it is very easy to put each and every blame upon the Russians. They simply are not able to bite back.
But, the facts are that whatever blames that they have levied upon the victims of this Ukrainian War, imposed by the Americans and the Little Britain, are pure lies and deceptions, nothing else.
These are pure, simple and nasty lies!