DISINFO: The US and the EU don’t care about starving many millions of Latin Americans
SUMMARY
The US and the EU don’t care about starving many millions of Latin Americans. The General Assembly of the Organisation of American States is ignoring the essential. Among their topics are the food and energy crisis, attributed to the Russian special military operation in Ukraine. A wrong focus that only contributes to worsen the situation, as the real reason are the West’s anti-Russian sanctions.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about sanctions in the context of the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. In this case, this narrative is also used to attack the Organisation of American States, a frequent target of pro-Kremlin criticism as this institution has been very critical of several countries allied of Moscow such as Venezuela or Nicaragua. Russia’s status as permanent observer at OAS was suspended in April 2022 as a result of Russia’s invasion.
The claim that sanctions are the cause of global food and energy crisis is an attempt to deflect Russia's responsibility in this situation. Large-scale wars are, by definition, bound to cause global supply shocks that trigger inflation and chain disruptions. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has destabilised global food markets and is driving food prices up due to increased cost of production, transport and freight insurance. Russia has also destroyed substantial food stocks, production, as well as processing and transport capacities in Ukraine.
The allegation that the US and the EU don’t care about starving Latin Americans is demonstrably false. EU sanctions do not include trade with Ukraine. As for trade with Russia, the sanctions do not include the import of agricultural products unless a sanctioned individual is involved. Moreover, the sanctions only cover bilateral trade between the EU and Russia, meaning that third countries can import Russian agrifood products without restriction. The US also exempts transactions for food, agricultural products and medical supplies from sanctions.