Moscow: “We are activating a quiet but terrible weapon – we will sell products only to friends”

A few hours after Vladimir Putin’s decree to pay for Russian gas supplies only in rubles Russia has made a new loud statement: from now on, it will only sell products to “friendly countries”!

This was stated today, Friday, by the former chairman and deputy head of the Russian Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev. He said he would like to describe “some simple but important things about food security in Russia” given the sanctions.

“We will supply food and agricultural products only to our friends,” Medvedev said on social networks. “Fortunately, we have a lot of them, and they are not available in Europe or North America.”

According to the correspondent of the Greek TV channel “open» Tanasis Avgerinos, the decision concerns all food products exported by the country, including wheat and sunflower oil. At the same time, it is expected to adopt a model corresponding to the sale of natural gas, which provides for settlements only in rubles. The decision is expected to be clarified later during the day. Deliveries of agricultural products to “friends” will be both in rubles and in their national currency, in an agreed ratio, Medvedev said.

Russia now supplies wheat mainly to Africa and the Middle East, from where panic voices about the upcoming famine. “The priority in providing food is the domestic market of Russia and the regulation of prices on it,” Medvedev said. Russia has been using grain quotas and taxes since 2021 to try to stabilize high domestic food inflation.

“Silent but terrible weapon”

Speaking about food security, the deputy head of the Security Council stressed that many countries depend on food supplies from Russia, and, according to him, this is a “quiet but terrible weapon.”

“I remember from childhood how the USSR bought grain in Canada. Today, the picture is completely different: Russia is the largest grain producer, along with India and China. And in recent years it has been the largest exporter of wheat. It so happened that the food security of many countries depended on our supplies. It turns out our food is our silent weapon. Quiet but scary.

He recalled that the export of Russian agricultural products “exceeds the export of weapons and last year amounted to more than 37 billion dollars.” Finally, describing the measures that Russia can take in the field of food security, Medvedev remarked with irony: “It turns out that we will have breakfast alone. We can dine with friends, but we won’t dine with enemies.”

Greece has already begun to prepare for these measures in advance. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis last Tuesday declaredthat more support for producers will be announced in the coming days, especially for fertilizers and animal feed.

The Greek authorities have seriously approached the issue of the country’s food security. In the near future, it is planned to introduce emergency measures to ensure food security in the country. Businesses must declare their stocks of grain, flour and animal feed, and there are sanctions for those who fail to comply.

Another question, how real will this food independence become with multiply increased prices for energy resources and fertilizers. After all, everyone is already accustomed to the fact that the statements of the current authorities of Greece (and not only Greece, alas …) often have nothing to do with reality.

Without a doubt, this will negatively affect the standard of living of the population, increase the already huge national debt and, accordingly, Greece’s dependence on external creditors.

In particular amendment (a document that emerged as a result of hostilities in Ukraine) provides for emergency measures “to ensure the sufficiency of agricultural products for food security and to prevent unfair trade practices,” reports lifo.gr.

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