French President Emmanuel Macron today (Tuesday) criticized Russian President Putin's decision not to extend the grain agreement with Ukraine.
According to him, "Putin made a huge mistake when he decided to make food into a weapon. The king is naked, not to mention the tsar."
The statements come against the backdrop of yesterday's expiration of the grain agreement between Russia and Ukraine, an agreement that over the past year anchored Ukraine's ability to export grain to the countries of the world. The agreement was intended to allay the fear that countries that depend on Ukrainian grain will reach the point of starvation. Alongside this, there is concern in the West about a significant increase in food prices following the expiration of the agreement.
According to the Russian president, the reason the agreement was not extended is that Ukraine refused to comply with the Kremlin's demands.