While the prices of cereals, oil, spices, sugar, vegetables and other several other food items and basic necessities of life have gone through the roof, the rates of petrol and diesel have increased to above 6,000 Shillings a litre, an all-time high for fuel products in Uganda.
America's sanctions on Russia are not to blame for the increasing
prices of food and petroleum products across the globe, the United
States of America's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Linda
Thomas-Greenfield has said.
The world has recorded a sharp rise in prices of essential
commodities coupled with a steep hike in fuel prices over the past few months,
a trend which has made life difficult especially for developing countries.
While the prices of cereals, oil, spices, sugar, vegetables and
other several other food items and basic necessities of life have gone
through the roof, the rates of petrol and diesel have increased to
above 6,000 Shillings a litre, an all-time high for fuel products in
Uganda.
Recently Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the West of
triggering a global economic crisis and a wave of ruinous inflation by
imposing on Russia the most severe sanctions in recent history over the
conflict in Ukraine. The sanctions followed a Russian-led special
military operation in
Ukraine.
According to Putin, the sanctions were fomenting a global crisis that
would trigger famine for some
of the world’s poorest countries. “The blame for this lies entirely with the elites of Western
countries who are ready to sacrifice the rest of the world to maintain
their global dominance,” Putin said at a televised government meeting on
the economy.
Similarly, the
Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov told journalists during a
press conference at State House in Entebbe last week that American and other
Western powers’ sanctions on his country were responsible for the
skyrocketing prices of oil and food especially cereals across the globe.
Lavrov said although the West never sanctioned agricultural
products including fertilisers, they sanctioned banks and insurance
companies which makes it hard for Russia to trade with other countries.
However, Greenfield told a
selected group of journalists at the residence of the United States
Ambassador to Uganda, that it’s wrong to blame the United States for the
skyrocketing food prices instead of Russia which attacked Ukraine
earlier this year.
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As
a way to support Uganda to deal with food insecurity, Greenfield
announced that they will be providing USD 20 million on top of the
regular US support. This support she said is targeting at least
4350,00people across the country.
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Greenfield
also deflated a question that she was visiting Uganda to court Museveni
not to side with Russia after Lavrov’s visit. She instead said the trip
to Africa that will also see her also visit Ghana and Cape Verde
tomorrow was earlier planned and couldn’t be cancelled simply because
Lavrov had visited.
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On
why the United States continues to deal with President Museveni despite
numerous concerns over democracy deficiencies and human rights
violations, Greenfield said their policy is to engage with any African
leader. She said this is the only way that their concerns will be put
across. She said although she recognises Museveni’s role in the security
of the Great Lakes region, they nonetheless push him on those values
that the United States believes in.
