Russia is ready to ensure unhindered passage of vessels with grain from Ukrainian ports to the Mediterranean Sea. However, on the condition that Ukraine "solves the problem of their demining.
This was reported by the Russian Interfax.
"For this (unblocking of vessels with grain from Ukrainian ports - ed.) it is necessary that Ukrainian representatives clear the coastal waters, which are in the territorial waters, in the territorial sea of Ukraine and which have been mined," Lavrov said.
At the same time, he noted that "the Russian Federation has long done everything in its power to solve the food problem arising in the world," but he did not specify what he meant by that.
Ukraine told the UN that Russia, by stepping fully into Ukraine, has dealt a blow to global food security by stopping almost all Ukrainian grain exports due to the blocking of ports in the Black Sea.
According to the intelligence service, Russia is trying to complicate understanding of the situation with its statements about the options to "unblock" Ukrainian grain in the Black Sea. To accuse the West of this, and to make itself look like "understanding".
Meanwhile, it became known that rice production in Russia may decrease by 35-36% compared to last year. This was announced by the head of the Russian Grain Union (RGS) Arkady Zlochevsky.
The reason is the lack of water in the rice checks during the sowing period because of the emergency situation at the Fedorovsky hydroscheme in Krasnodar Krai.
"Usually we harvest 1.1 million tons of rice on average - according to the last years. This year there will be 700 thousand tons. The country consumes about one million tons, of which 200 thousand are long-grain, imported rice, and we send the surplus to export. There will be no export at the moment, but for the domestic rice consumption there will be just a tit in tit. Perhaps there will be a little more imported long-grain rice: not 200, but 300 thousand tons," said Zlochevsky.
