The United States in the OSCE: “Russia has record wheat exports and is trying to hide it”

Russia has restored pre-war wheat exports to pre-war levels. They would have been even higher if not for the restrictions imposed by Russia itself. This was stated by the US Chargé d’Affaires to the OSCE, Katherine Brooker, during a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council.

“The United States condemns Russia’s unilateral withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI). We have strongly supported the initiative brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, and we join UN Secretary-General Guterres and many others in expressing disappointment that Russia has refused UN proposals to continue the initiative,” she said.

Brooker emphasized that the Kremlin is jeopardizing food security in the world by trying to “punish Ukraine and advance its own interests.”

She noted that since August 2022, almost 33 million tons of Ukrainian grain and food have been shipped under the BSGI. More than half of the grain and two-thirds of the wheat were shipped to developing countries, including some of the most food insecure regions of the world.

At the same time, Brooker noted that Russian agricultural exports “have recovered to pre-war levels and would have been even higher if not for export restrictions imposed by Russia itself.”

“No G7 sanctions target Russian food and fertilizer exports, and Russia has record wheat exports. Russia has stopped sharing trade data in an attempt to hide this fact from the world,” she said.

According to her, every BSGI flight has helped reduce hardship in the world’s poorest countries, “because grain entering the world markets lowers food prices for everyone.”

“By suspending its participation in BSGI and trying to remove Ukrainian grain from the market, Russia will increase its market share and be able to sell its wheat at a higher price. We have already seen examples of Russia unilaterally raising wheat prices for African countries. We call on Russia to immediately reverse its decision, return to negotiations, and continue and fully implement the initiative,” Brooker said.

Tags: Russia, export, wheat, USA