Since the Russian-Ukrainian War, Western countries led by the United States have imposed unprecedented economic sanctions on Russia.US President Joe Biden has claimed that sanctions have turned the ruble into "rubble" and Russia into an outcast of the international community.But at present, all these plans of Western countries have not been successful.
Among them, one of the great tricks for Russia to break out of the Western financial siege is the "Gas Ruble Settlement Order". Russia requires non-friendly countries to purchase Gazprom to pay in rubles. At present, most European customers have been forced to accept this requirement.
And after tasting this sweetness, Russia hopes to use the current global food crisis panic to expand its achievements in food and fertilizers.
According to the TASS news agency on Sunday (May 29) local time (May 29), the head of the Constitutional Committee of the Russian Federation Council Andrei Kleishas is in favor of paying for food and fertilizer supplies in rubles.
"Food, fertilizers should be paid in rubles," Krisas wrote on Telegram.
Russia has already tasted victory in natural gas
As Russia is the EU's largest supplier of natural gas andcrude oil, the backlash caused by sanctions against Russia has made the EU even more embarrassed.
At present, the EU's sanctions on Russian natural gas have existed in name only, and even the governments of Germany and Italy have succumbed to allowing companies of the two countries to open ruble accounts in Russianbanksto continue to buy Russian natural gas.
Although the EU is still pushing for an embargo on Russian oil, the proposal has been delayed in the EU due to opposition from Hungary and other countries.
In addition, gasoline and diesel prices in the United Kingdom, the United States and other countries have repeatedly hit new highs. In the foreseeable future, energy prices will remain high, causing a serious blow to the economies of these countries.
On the Russian side, GDP grew by 3.5% year-on-year in the first quarter, the ruble has become the world's best-performing currency so far this year, and the Russian stock index has returned to its pre-sanctions level.Behind all these changes in circumstances, it is announced that Russia has won the financial war, and the economic war remains to be seen, but Russia, which is rich in resources, has a huge advantage.
The second gap?
The introduction of the "Gas Ruble Settlement Order" undermined the unity of the EU and made sanctions against Russia "significantly reduced". Now Russia hopes to open a second gap with food and fertilizers.
The Russian side expressed the hope that food and fertilizers should be used in rubles, and the timing was very good.
Recently, the issue of global food security has attracted increasing attention.India, Malaysia, Indonesia and other countries have successively issued bans on grain or food exports.
International Monetary Fund (IMF) President Georgieva told the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that as food prices continue to rise, global concerns about the ability to buy food at reasonable prices have reached peak.
Even before the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, food prices were already at all-time highs due to high fuel and energy prices, a dry climate and the shock of the pandemic.And now many countries are restricting food exports, which may further exacerbate the global hunger problem.After all, keeping trade open is crucial to easing the global food crisis.
Russia's role is indispensable
UN Secretary-General António Guterres told a ministerial meeting on the "Roadmap to Global Food Security - A Call to Action" in New York on May 18 that the solution would not be possible without Russian products, Belarusian fertilizers and Ukrainian food. food crisis.
Guterres said: “Let’s be honest: There is no effective solution to the food crisis without reintegrating into the world market the food produced in Ukraine, as well as the food and fertilizer produced in Russia and Belarus. Russia’s food and fertilizer should flow completely unhindered. access to the world market."
Russian President Vladimir Putin held phone talks with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Scholz on Saturday (May 28), according to the Kremlin.Putin told French and German leaders by phone that Russia was open to discussing the possibility of allowing Ukraine to resume shipments of food from Black Sea ports.
Putin said that Russia's increase in the supply of fertilizers andagricultural products(6.62 +0.15%,diagnostic stocks) will help ease the tension in the global food market, but this requires Western countries to lift related sanctions.
Factors such as fertilizer shortages and supply chain bottlenecks have also further exacerbated the global food crisis, creating "unprecedented" challenges.Now that Russia wants to play the card of "food and fertilizer", how will Western countries respond?
