But during a visit to the United Nations, Vilsack stressed that resuming shipments from Ukraine’s ports on the Black Sea was the most effective and efficient way to export grain, and urged Russia to take the UN-led talks on the issue “seriously.”
“We know the circumstances and conditions in which this happened – the Russians took the grain from the Ukrainian farmers. As far as we can get it out of the country, that will be an advantage that reduces the risk of loss,” Vilsack told reporters.
Russia denies accusations of stealing Ukraine’s grain.
However, US satellite imagery company Maxar Technologies said that Russian-flagged ships had been transporting Ukrainian grain to Syria for the past two months.
US President Joe Biden said temporary silos would be built on Ukraine’s border in an effort to help export more grain and tackle a growing global food crisis. Vilsack did not provide any other details about the US involvement in this process.
“We would like to see the ports open because this is the most efficient way to transport that grain, but it will take some time even if the port is open. So you still have to have a place to put the grain,” he added.
He added that additional storage space was also needed because Ukraine would soon harvest its winter crop.
Since the war in Ukraine, Ukrainian grain shipments have stopped and more than 20 million tons are stuck in silos. The war is fueling a global food crisis with soaring prices for grain, cooking oils, fuel and fertilizer.
Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, said Thursday that Russia was not responsible, blaming the policies of Western governments for provoking the food and energy crisis.
The United Nations is trying to broker a deal to resume Ukrainian and Russian food and fertilizer exports, which Moscow says have been affected by the sanctions.
The United States and the European Union have said that Russian food and fertilizer are not subject to sanctions. But they pledged to clarify and reassure companies involved in such Russian exports.
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told the UN Security Council that the “easiest way” to reopen Ukraine’s ports was for Russia to stop the war.
He also pointed out that “military risks to navigation in the region inevitably lead to a high cost of insurance and transportation, which further fuels the current crisis.”
Russia said Wednesday it had offered a “safe passage” for Ukrainian grain shipments from Black Sea ports but was not responsible for creating the passages, and Turkey suggested that ships could be steered around sea mines.
Ukraine fears that clearing its ports will make it more vulnerable to Russian attacks from the Black Sea.
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