MOSCOW, August 10. /TASS/. European countries have found themselves in a trap: by restricting the supply of agricultural products from Russia through sanctions, they are now trying to arrange imports via third countries, Anatoly Tikhonov, head of the Center for International Agribusiness and Food Security at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA) said in a column he contributed to TASS.
The analyst drew attention to the abnormal heat that has hit Europe this summer, calling it an "economic verdict." "Europe, which is accustomed to lecturing the world with ‘green’ directives and carbon protectionism, has suddenly found itself in the role of a food supplicant. The climate pendulum has swung with an amplitude that leaves no room for a subjunctive mood: old Europe is no longer able to feed itself," he explained.
According to the expert, today "it is impossible to fill the gap without Ukrainian grain (whose export potential has already been undermined by the heat in the Black Sea steppes and logistical problems), without Brazilian soybeans, American corn, and -- let’s not be shy -- without Russian food. The Western elite has found itself in a trap they set themselves: overstated environmental standards of the ‘green transition’, the removal of millions of hectares from crop rotation for the sake of ‘biodiversity’, and, most importantly, the severance of ties with Russia have led to the situation where Brussels has nothing to offer its own consumers today."
