PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, Dec 18 Russia has never used a theme world food crisis and rising food prices as a political tool and will not do so, said Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko.
«The rabid shameless policy of the West, trying to blame Russia for the food crisis, for the rise in food prices, is no longer working. Everyone already understands that this is a political tool in the hands of the West. We have never used this topic as a political lever and we won't do it,» Matviyenko said on the air of the Rossiya 1 TV channel.
According to her, Russia always behaves very conscientiously in the international arena. At the same time, Matviyenko said, it is unacceptable to allow the West, with the help of the Russian grain harvest, «to use this (deliveries and prices for grain — ed.) through unscrupulous schemes as pressure on other countries, against Russia.» «Here, in my opinion, we must act tough and more substantively,» she is convinced.
The Chairman of the Federation Council spoke in favor of Russia itself exporting its own grain without involving other parties. «We produce grain ourselves and we must ensure their supply ourselves, without transferring our resources into someone's hands, and grain is a very important resource for others who use it against us,» Matviyenko said.
She stressed that, along with drinking water, grain is a gigantic resource that allows us to maintain and save life on Earth. «It seems to me that in this regard, Russia has its own global mission. The record grain harvest in Russia today is a guarantee of saving a large part of humanity, especially in poor countries, from real hunger,» said the speaker of the Federation Council.
The West increased sanctions pressure on Russia due to the conflict in Ukraine, which led to an increase in prices for electricity, fuel and food in Europe and the United States. Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously stated that the policy of containment and weakening of Russia is a long-term strategy of the West, and sanctions have dealt a serious blow to the entire global economy.