Russia Does Not Hinder Grain Exports from Ukraine, Says Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that the Russian Federation does not hinder grain exports from Ukraine, as reported by Kommersant.

"We do not obstruct the supply of Ukrainian grain. After all, we did not mine the ports," the head of state said during his speech at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

According to Putin, the problem does not lie with Russia, but rather with the "adequacy of people in Kyiv." He also expressed sadness over the fact that grain could be used to pay for weapons supplied to Ukraine.

The Russian president remarked that "the EU has realized that they made a mistake by imposing sanctions on food, but it is already impossible to go back."

"It’s the Americans who imposed sanctions on food, and then they hesitated. But in the EU, no one did that. Everyone understands that they made a mistake, but turning back is already impossible," said the Russian leader, commenting on European sanctions against Russia.