As on the occasion of armed conflicts or politico-economic crises once morest a backdrop of friction between bilateral or multilateral geostrategic interests, the media escalation, fueled by the untimely profusion of declarations and press releases (of war) is raging on both sides. other of the protagonists.
In this context, during an economic forum in Vladivostok (in the Russian Far East), President Putin bluntly declared that “almost all grain exported from Ukraine is sent not to developing and poor countries, but to the countries of the European Union”. “What we observe is a deception, a rude and reckless attitude towards these partners for whom all this was supposed to be done”, he argued in front of a large audience of observers, experts and economic and political leaders. Asians.
The master of the Kremlin went on to denounce a “colonialist” attitude on the part of Western countries, particularly those of the European Union who “think first of (their) own skin, of (their) own interests”…
“This might lead to an unprecedented humanitarian disaster,” he urged in his speech, which lasted more than thirty minutes. “Perhaps we should think regarding how to limit the export of cereals and other food products by this route”, he concluded, on this, before adding: “I will consult the President Turkish (Recep Tayyib) Erdogan”, who in fact sponsored an agreement in Istanbul allowing the export of Ukrainian grain.
On the other hand, the Joint Coordination Center (JCC), in charge of supervising all the details of the said agreement, presented data specifying that 100 ships have left since the beginning of August the Ukrainian ports of Odessa, Chornomosk and from Pivdenny, carrying on board 2,334,310 tons of cereals and other agricultural products.
According to the same source, the main countries targeted by these deliveries were Turkey (20%), Spain (15%), Egypt (10%), China (7%) and Italy (7%). ). Thus, European countries would represent 36% of the total while 17% would go to African countries.
The CCC also ensures that 30% of the cargoes went to low-income or middle-income countries, stressing that a significant part of the cereals delivered to Turkey is still re-exported to the Middle East and the ‘North Africa.
In this regard, a US government official, who requested anonymity, qualified the Russian President’s statements as erroneous and false and indicated that certain cereals were transported to Europe for processing before being sent to countries poor.
Believing that Vladimir Putin might have several motivations (…) including “control” of data with regard to the countries of the South, she declared: “Perhaps the agreement works better than expected and that the Ukrainians benefit more from it. than they expected in terms of revenue going to Ukraine”.
As with Crimea in 2014, Russia’s annexation of Donbass is now just a matter of conflicting agendas
This controversy, animated by the divergence of economic and geostrategic interests and fueled by the persistence of Russian aims on the one hand and the Western counter-offensive, in particular the European countries, is explained by the relentlessness of the latter in the face of “the stubbornness of Russian officials, attitudes, on both sides, diametrically opposed and contradictory.
Indeed, if the Istanbul agreement has allowed the resumption of Ukrainian cereal exports, Russia has been complaining for several weeks of serious obstacles to its own food exports due to the persistent effects of the economic sanctions imposed on it.
“The situation is moving in the right direction, but some restrictions remain”, pulling prices “up”, lambasted Vladimir Putin.
“I hope that things will change one way or another”, he hammered, calling for “reversing this situation”. “We will continue our work in the hope that the objectives for which all this was organized will still be achieved”.
According to him, the Europeans used the “pretext” of a potential “famine” in many parts of the world if the Ukrainian cereals might not be exported quickly to finally recover them at home.
Thus, “deception”, “colonialist” attitude of Western countries: the harsh criticism of the master of the Kremlin directly calls into question the agreement signed at the end of July with kyiv, under Turkish sponsorship and under the aegis of the United Nations.
On the other hand, and in a completely different register of this quasi-global crisis, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict might take an even more critical turn. Indeed, the “General Council of United Russia”, Vladimir Putin’s party, issued on Wednesday the proposal to organize, on November 4, referendums in the territories under Russian control in Ukraine, with a view to attaching them, done, to Russia.
“Donetsk, Lugansk and many Russian cities will finally find their home port. And the Russian world, now divided by formal borders, will regain its integrity,” said the party secretary.
The end of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is proving increasingly improbable and distant… Peace is not for tomorrow…
Rachid Meftah
