The American Wall Street Journal published a report stating that Russian President Vladimir Putin is fighting a geopolitical battle in parallel with his military war in Ukraine using food, among the goals of dividing the international community and expanding his country's influence in developing countries.
As stated in the report prepared by the newspaper's correspondent, William Molden, that Moscow published days before its invasion of Ukraine a series of maritime warnings that surrounded parts of the Black Sea near the coasts of Ukraine, which is the largest exporter of grain and cooking oil in the world.
The American newspaper correspondent indicated that Western and Ukrainian officials see that the subsequent steps taken by Russia, including closing or seizing Ukrainian ports, destroying agricultural infrastructure, seizing farmers’ lands and transporting Ukrainian wheat for sale abroad, are part of a geopolitical battle that Russia is waging in parallel with its military war. .
A tool to intimidate and enhance influence
He said that although Russia's war on Ukraine had united Western allies in their efforts to prop up Kyiv, Russia had used its growing influence on food exports to divide the international community and expand its influence over the developing economies of the Middle East, Africa and Asia, leading to a division not seen since the Cold War. .
The reporter highlighted that Western officials see that the Kremlin is using concerns about food security as a way to ease sanctions imposed on Russia and ensure the launch of negotiations to stop the war, and is using the food embargo it imposes to build influence and trade relations with non-Western countries, and destroy an essential pillar of the Ukrainian economy.
The report cited the opinion of Carrie Fowler, the US special envoy for global food security, who said, "What is going on is a classic case of food being used as a weapon... If they say we will only ship food to you if you agree with our government's policies, what can you say?"
For many years, Putin has used energy as a weapon in the face of his enemies, as well as oil and natural gas in his efforts to restore the influence his country lost with the collapse of the Soviet Union, and now Russia is adding another arrow to its strategic weapons arsenal, which is food.
The newspaper's correspondent said that Russian officials do not hesitate to brag about their growing power in this field, even if they deny using food as a weapon against other countries.
Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's former president, said earlier this year that food is Russia's quiet and dangerous weapon that can protect the country from Western sanctions.
Indications that frighten the West
According to the Wall Street Journal report, Putin recently stated that regular customers who import grain will get wheat supplies, stressing that Ukraine is free to export food products.
"No one is preventing them from removing the mines and allowing the ships laden with grain to leave from those ports. We guarantee them security," the Russian president added during a meeting last Thursday with his Indonesian counterpart.
Despite Putin's statement, US and Western officials say that Russia has blockaded Ukraine's ports and imposed strict restrictions on grain exports.
The report concludes that US diplomats fear that the Russian geopolitical strategy related to food has succeeded, as indications have begun of a shift in the positions of the leaders of some African and Middle Eastern countries, a number of whom have emphasized in recent weeks their countries' close relations with Russia, a position different from what they used to It was during the first days after the start of the Russian war on Ukraine.