You're you're
arriving on on a rather dramatic day.
We saw these strikes overnight.
That happened just 2 hours.
They started after
the Green Deal expired.
How do you interpret this
missile and drone strike
by Russia on on Odessa,
a show of perceived impunity, spite.
Look what we can do.
Don't think you have leverage.
Yes, we can cut off a lifeline
to the poorest countries in the world.
Yes, we can bombard
civilian infrastructure.
That's who we are. We will outlast you.
I think that's the message.
The message back is we're here
for the long term, and the whole world
needs to raise its voice,
particularly the global
south countries in the global south
to say that it's unacceptable, acceptable
to hold hostage
the hungriest people in the world
because of some power
play and aggression.
Carried out by Moscow.
How soon could we feel
these ripple effects
if this if the Black Sea Grant initiative
is not renewed in any way?
I think already today
we're just one day
since Russia announced its withdrawal.
You already see an uptick in grain
and oil prices globally.
Hopefully that will stabilize
as developing countries and consumers
generally recognize
that there is still
ample grain and and oils on the market.
But the idea that Putin would
play roulette
with the hungriest people in the world
at the time of the greatest
food crisis in our lifetimes
is just deeply disturbing.
How can the international community,
the United Nations, Turkey, salvage
a black sea grain deal without Russia?
Well, the first port of call
is massive pressure
on the Russian Federation
And what I think
ultimately brought it to the table
and caused it to participate
was that the reputational
and diplomatic costs
were costs that it did not wish to bear.
Remember,
Russia is trying to court public opinion
in developing countries.
It is looking for support
at the United Nations
for its phony
narrative about who started this war
and who is to blame.
That argument on their part,
their communications, investment
in misinformation, disinformation,
all of that is undermined
by the perception across
sub-Saharan Africa
that they are willing
to let hungry
people starve
in order to make a point in Ukraine.
The Russian complaint has been that
this has been one sided.
Ukraine has been the only ones
who have benefited from this
that they haven't been able
to export their foodstuffs,
their fertilizer.
What do you make of that argument?
The idea that Russia should benefit
from a deal designed to undo the effects
of Russia's cruel and inhuman blockade
against a sovereign country is absurd.
What would the Black Sea
Green Initiative was meant to do
was negate
the pain
that was being inflicted
on Ukrainian farmers and on hungry
people in developing countries
who depend on the Ukrainian breadbasket.
It was meant to undo the cruelty
and the ripple effects
of the cruelty inflicted on Ukraine.
The ripple effects being felt
across the developing world.
There is a fierce debate over
how much and whether really to support
Ukraine
What is the best argument
for another quarter of $1,000,000,000
being spent
not on weapons
that will help push
Russian invaders out of this country?
But on on helping
Ukrainian civilians and farmers.
Imagine Ukraine with only weapons
and no first responders.
Imagine a Ukraine
trying to regrow its economy,
but with no teacher salaries.
That can be paid
because the blockade on
the Black Sea port
is depriving the country
of tax revenue temporarily
So for those who believe that the war
can be won through security assistance
alone, it's just not feasible.
The government has to continue
to function.
The schools, businesses
agricultural sector has to continue
to work.
For those who say Ukraine itself.
That's not my war. That's not my problem.
The costs for any semblance of order
in our world
of somebody being able
to just pulverize civilians,
pulverized ports
like this
one will be felt not only in Ukraine,
but also as we saw
when global food prices went up last year
because of Putin's invasion.
They're felt actually
in our pocket, pocketbook
back in the United States.
Russia continue
to carry out
strikes on Odessa on other ports
while this green deal was in effect.
Now that it is no longer
at least in their part,
do you expect that
they might increase their attacks
and make the efforts
to get these foodstuffs,
this grain out of Ukraine, even harder?
Russia is struggling massively
on the battlefield.
And with the Ukrainian counter-offensive
now picking up pace,
I think you can
expect all kinds of acts of desperation
And if you are a bully and an aggressor,
it is always easier to lob missiles
and send drones
at civilian infrastructure, at hotels
like the one over there
or at port infrastructure like this.
It is easier to do that than to fight
what has proven the stronger
and more effective army
on the battlefield.
So I think our
we absolutely
should expect the worst
from the Russian Federation
as it continues to struggle
on the battlefield.