IANS.
Moscow: Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council and former President Dmitry Medvedev stated that Moscow would not export food items harming Russia's own market, IANS reported.
"On the one hand, insane sanctions are being imposed on us, and on the other hand, [the West] is demanding food supplies," Medvedev said.
His statement, through Telegram, appears after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's statement on Wednesday that Russia should make its fertilisers and food products available in global markets without obstacles. Medvedev agreed that the lack of Russian exports could make the situation hard for importing countries. He added that without Russian fertilisers, "only juicy weeds [would] grow" on their fields.
According to Medvedev, the West is now retracting since their "sanctions are worthless when it comes to vital things", such as food or energy. Sanctions interfere with everyone's everyday peaceful life, he said.
He further said that the situation got aggravated due to the expansion of NATO and the "mess with the calculations of debts, payments and other things". He stated that Moscow is ready to fulfil all its obligations but has the right to expect some assistance from its trading partners.
According to news agency RT, demand for wheat grew after Russia initiated its invasion of Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine together contribute around 30 per cent of the world's wheat exports. Their contribution stopped after the crisis started and prices soared.