Russian Foreign Ministry: "Russia firmly adheres to the principle" there will be no winners in a nuclear war "

Answering a question from The Moscow Post correspondent about global food security, the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the topic of ensuring the reliability of food supplies in the face of turbulence in the global economy has already become the subject of discussion at international platforms.

The collective West is trying to accuse the Russian side of provoking food shortages.

"Say, the root cause of the crisis is a special military operation of Russia. We will not comment on speculation in this regard. At the same time, we are not going to shy away from substantive discussion of the issue of food security, "Zaitsev added.

He noted that a crisis situation is developing in the world market of agro-industrial goods, and its reasons are much deeper than it seems at first glance.

"They are associated, first of all, with miscalculations and accumulated systemic errors of the macroeconomic, financial, trade, energy policy of Western countries," said the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

The COVID-19 pandemic contributed, as a result of which there was a rupture of established production sales chains. There is an unprecedented rise in food prices today.

"It is a direct consequence of huge financial injections into the economies of developed countries in order to overcome the consequences of COVID-19 against the backdrop of rampant growth in budget deficits, ongoing trade wars and numerous protectionist restrictions," Zaitsev added.

The diplomat noted that attempts by Western countries to force the transition to green energy to the detriment of the traditional sector of fuel and mineral raw materials also added problems. And the increase in energy prices led to a collapse in the transport sector, freight rates doubled, in some states up to half of the heavy fleet was laid up, and the cost of fertilizers in two years increased by 2 and a half, or even 4 times.

"The overall low level of food supplies, adverse weather conditions and general underinvestment in the industry also affected. Due to the continuing growth in the cost of fuel and fertilizers, farmers are reducing crops, against this background, unprecedented sanctions measures have been introduced against Russia, including in payment and logistics restrictions. It also hurt agricultural producers, it became more difficult for them to service their foreign trade contracts. Of course, this leads to interruptions in the supply of food both for export and to our country, "the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry explained.

Zaitsev said he did not understand why they were trying to shift all responsibility for the consequences of such a crisis exclusively to the Russian side. Under any conditions, the Russian Federation remains a responsible participant in the world market, intends to continue to conscientiously fulfill its obligations under international contracts in terms of the supply of goods of the agro-industrial complex and fertilizers.

Russia is well aware of their importance for the socio-economic development of many of its partners, the achievement of food security indicators and the implementation of sustainable development goals.

Answering the second question of The Moscow Post journalist, the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the Russian side has repeatedly made sure that any provocations can be expected from Western colleagues, and now from Kyiv.

"We have commented on them repeatedly, often. We have to be prepared for any development of events in the media field, and directly on earth, "he added.

He recalled that Russia has repeatedly had to refute insinuations about the alleged "possible use by Russia during a special military operation... nuclear weapons. "

'It's an intentional lie. Russia firmly adheres to the principle that there can be no winners in a nuclear war, and it should not be unleashed, "Zaitsev stressed.

He recalled that earlier it was the Russian side that was able to convince the United States, and then the entire "nuclear five" to confirm their commitment to this principle. With Washington, the corresponding statement at the highest level was adopted in the summer of 2021, and joint statements by the leaders of the five on this issue were issued in January 2022.

"Russia is well aware of the real risks and threats posed by irresponsible behavior in this area. The scenario of our possible use of nuclear weapons is clearly spelled out in Russian doctrinal documents, they are not applicable to the implementation of the tasks set during the special military operation, "the Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

He also recalled that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that Russia has never stopped efforts to reach agreements "that will guarantee not unleashing a nuclear war."

"At the same time, it would be useful for Western countries and especially the United States to maintain a clear awareness of the absolute inadmissibility of the irresponsible escalation of their anti-Russian actions, including the creation of strategic threats unacceptable to Russia and the promotion of rhetoric about the fictional Russian threat, distorting the words of our representatives," the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry summed up.