The European Union must continue to reject “Russian propaganda” related to wheat exports from Ukraine and EU sanctions, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, said Monday evening in New York, DPA and Agerpres reported.

In recent weeks, Russian President Vladimir Putin has criticized the UN-Turkey-brokered agreement between Moscow and Kyiv to facilitate the export of Ukrainian wheat through the Black Sea. The head of the Kremlin said that wheat does not reach the countries that need it the most.

The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy responded to the following position: “Look at the statistics: two-thirds of Ukrainian exports went to Africa, the Middle East and Asia.”

He added that the efforts of the UN and the European Union to restore supplies of Ukrainian wheat have already led to a decrease in food prices on international markets.

Borrell: “Our sanctions are aimed at Russia’s military economy, not food or agriculture”

Putin also said that EU sanctions prevent other countries from gaining access to Russian fertilizers, while the Union continues to import these products.

Borrell noted that “our sanctions are aimed at Russia’s military economy, not food or agriculture,” and warned that “we must continue to counter Russian propaganda and disinformation.”

A European official suggested that private companies refrain from buying fertilizers from Russia not because of EU sanctions, but “because of the uncertainty of doing business with a regime that kills and kidnaps civilians in a neighboring country.”

In recent weeks, Ukraine exported about 14 million tons of wheat, a representative of Brussels noted on Tuesday. Of this volume, 61% was transported by land transport, 39% by the Black Sea.

In May, the European Commission estimated that about 20 million tons of wheat were blocked in Ukraine due to the Russian invasion. Before the war, Ukraine was one of the largest producers of wheat in the world.

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