Kremlin Says West Is to Blame for Ukraine Grain Export Problems

The Kremlin on Thursday rejected U.S. and European Union claims that Russia had blocked grain exports from Ukraine, and accused the West of creating such a situation by imposing sanctions.

"We categorically do not accept these accusations. On the contrary, we blame Western countries of taking actions that have led to this," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in a conference call with reporters on Thursday.

Moscow called for the West to remove the sanctions which it says are blocking grain exports from Ukraine.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen is among those who have accused Moscow of using food exports as a weapon, while Kyiv has said Russia has stolen hundreds of thousands of tonnes of grain in areas their forces have occupied.