Atlantic Council: Moscow shattered two illusions with one missile strike. The White House needs to accept reality.  

2022-07-25 | Expert publications, Food security

By John E. Herbst. Some illusions die hard; others have a short shelf life. Moscow’s July 23 attack on port facilities in Odesa—which came less than twenty-four hours after Moscow and Kyiv signed separate agreements with Turkey and the United Nations (UN) to unblock Ukraine’s Black Sea ports—illustrates both points. 

In exchange for ending the Russian blockade on Ukraine’s grain exports, the Kremlin received assurances that Western sanctions did not apply to fertilizer, opening the way to export sales. The deal was aimed at avoiding food shortages—if not full-on famine—in Africa, the Arab world, and across much of Asia.

 

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