“Almost all grain exported from Ukraine is sent not to the poorest developing countries, but to EU countries,” Putin said, adding that “with this approach, the scale of the world’s food problems will only increase.” The Russian president said Russia signed the deal in July, brokered by Turkey and the United Nations, believing it would help ease rising food prices in the developing world, but instead rich Western countries were taking advantage of the deal. “If we exclude Turkey as an intermediary country, then almost all grain exported from Ukraine is sent not to the poorest developing countries, but to the countries of the European Union,” Putin said at an economic forum in the eastern city of Vladivostok on Wednesday. Putin said only two of the 87 ships, carrying 60,000 tonnes of products, went to poor countries as he accused the West of acting as colonial powers. “Once again, developing countries were simply deceived and are still being deceived. It is obvious that with this approach, the scale of the world’s food problems will only increase…which may lead to an unprecedented humanitarian disaster.”
