vladimir Putin takes advantage of the Russian blockade imposed in the Black Sea to claim the lifting of the sanctions or demand the demining of the beaches of Odessa by the Ukrainian forces.
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After gas, wheat. In its confrontation with the West, the Kremlin is betting on raw materials. “No problem …”, on Friday June 3, Vladimir Putin. Accused by Westerners of blocking exports of Ukrainian cereals, the Russian leader met Macky Sall, his Senegalese counterpart and president of the African Union, who spoke on behalf of a continent threatened with food crisis. A meeting organized in Sochi, the Russian seaside city: it is here, on the edges of the Black Sea that in October 2019, Mr. Putin had welcomed his first Russian-Africa summit to introduce himself, facing the ex-colonies And to Chinese ambitions, as an alternative partner. Three years later, cereals are more than ever a key object of the Russian “soft power”.
“There is no problem exporting Ukraine cereals,” said Putin in a television interview shortly after his interview with Mr. Sall. Since the start of the “special military operation”, Ukraine exports via its Black Sea ports, especially in Odessa, have been stopped. Some 20 million tonnes of cereals are thus stored in silos due to the blockade imposed by the Russian army. From mid-May, reports the New York Times of June 5, Washington had alerted fourteen countries, most of them in Africa, that Russian ships could head towards them, filled with” stolen Ukrainian cereals “, According to a cable from the State Department quoted by the American daily. Three Russian Cargos were named named.
“blackmail”
Faced with this complex situation, the Kremlin plays between influence and nuisance. Friday, Mr. Putin presented six solutions. Among them: go through the Ukrainian ports of Marioupol and Berdiansk, won over the Azov Sea by the Russian forces, which give access to the Black Sea. “We are ready to offer a secure passage to boats using these ports, including Ukrainian boats,” he said. He also suggested using the ports of the Black Sea always under Ukrainian control, especially Odessa. But, in both cases, he insisted, this requires that the waters of these ports be “demured” by Ukraine so that in exchange Russia can ensure a secure passage.
A real “blackmail” in the eyes of kyiv while, in addition to the blockade of the ports, Moscow is accused of bombing warehouses and fields. “There is no question that, under cover of a maritime corridor, there is a weakening of the security situation of Ukraine,” warned Charles Michel, the president of the European Council. Emmanuel Macron, he demanded “security guarantees” so that the Russians do not take advantage of this corridor to attack.
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