Russia Accuses US, EU of Lying About Sanctions Not Hampering Food Exports

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin has accused the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom of falsely claiming that sanctions they have imposed over the Ukrainian conflict do not curb Russian exports of food and fertilizers.

Ukraine and Russia signed a deal brokered by Turkey and the United Nations last July to unlock shipments of grain, food, and fertilizer via the Black Sea despite hostilities.

"Washington, Brussels and London have claimed that their sanctions against Russia do not affect food and fertilizers. They should back these claims with actions, which they have so far failed to do," Vershinin told RT news channel in an interview.

Moscow has repeatedly said that most vessels carrying Ukrainian grain do not reach the world's poorest countries and end up in Europe.

In March, Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated his call to comply with all the provisions of the grain deal so that the products were sent not to "well-fed European countries," but to Africa, which currently received only 3% of all grain exported from Ukraine.