US accuses Russia of causing turmoil in Sri Lanka
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Russia has partly contributed to the crisis in Sri Lanka, after launching a military campaign in its neighboring country, Ukraine.
Blinken on Sunday reitarated allegations against Moscow, saying, “We're seeing the impact of this Russian aggression playing out everywhere.”
“It may have contributed to the situation in Sri Lanka; we're concerned about the implications around the world," Blinken said.
The top US diplomat claimed that “growing food insecurity” around the world “has been significantly exacerbated by the Russian aggression against Ukraine.”
He once again urged Moscow to allow 20 million tons of grain to leave Ukrainian ports which, in his opinion, Russian forces are blocking as part of their military offensive.
Ukraine, one of the world's biggest exporters of grain, has not been able to export the commodity since the onset of the conflict in the country in late February. Kiev and the West accuse Russia of creating the risk of global famine by shutting Ukraine's Black Sea ports.
The West has also accused Russia of blocking Ukrainian grain exports from the Black Sea.
Russia, however, says no action was required on the Russian side because it had already made the necessary commitments to solve the problem.
Russia says it will allow Ukrainian ships loaded with food products to leave if Ukraine's military demines its ports, an option rejected by Kiev, which accuses Moscow of trying to “attack” the port of Odesa, the largest seaport in the crisis-stricken country.
Moscow has also denied responsibility for the international food crisis, blaming Western sanctions.
The West's unprecedented sanctions against Russia have sent the prices of grain, cooking oil, fertilizers, and energy skyrocketing.
Sri Lanka, the island of 22 million people, is struggling with its worst economic crisis since independence in 1948 amid a severe foreign exchange shortage that has limited essential imports of fuel, food and medicine.
Soaring inflation, at a record 54.6% in June and expected to hit 70% in the coming months, has heaped hardship on the population.
Sri Lanka’s leaders are seeking a $3 billion bailout from the US-dominated International Monetary Fund (IMF) and a restructuring of some foreign debt, but the desperate bid has gone unanswered.
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