ROME (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th May, 2022) In order to avoid a global food crisis, Russia and Ukraine could agree to unblock ports for grain exports, marking a step forward in the dialogue between Kiev and Moscow, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Draghi, as part of his visit to the United States, held a meeting with US President Joe Biden. The two leaders have discussed ongoing coordination with allies and partners on measures to support the people of Ukraine and continuing cooperation on shared foreign policy challenges.
"There is a danger of a food crisis, a humanitarian crisis caused by food shortages, which were mainly caused by the block on grain exports from Ukraine and Russia. In the case of Ukraine, the exports are halted due to ports being blocked by Russian ships," Draghi said at a press conference in Italian Embassy during his visit to the United States.
The minister noted that the dialogue between Russia and Ukraine could save millions of lives, adding that he and Biden agreed that the road to peace is complicated and everyone needs to make an effort to help Russia and Ukraine find an end to the conflict. For this end, he also urged Russia and the US to "sit down at a table."
"(Russian Foreign Minister Sergey) Lavrov said that the ships are blocked because the ports are mined. This could be a vivid example of a dialogue between the parties to save tens of millions of people from the poorest countries. If there are mines, they must be removed and the Russian side must let the ships pass," Draghi said.
According to the minister, during a meeting with Biden, the possibility of setting a maximum price for gas was also discussed and the US viewed the idea positively.
In April, Lavrov said that Ukraine was blocking foreign ships and creating military threats in its waters. At the same time, he noted that Russia was taking measures to ensure safe civil navigation in the waters of the Black and Azov seas, including by opening humanitarian corridors on a daily basis.
