By Irina Severin | UAObserver
It appears that the US (and, even more so, European countries) still don't fully understand the implications of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Putin's endgame. In addition to the increase in oil and gas prices, food prices have lately risen by 50% after Russia launched the war against Ukraine.
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| Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin |
But if the US allows Russia to occupy Ukraine, even partly, as some Russia-paid experts suggest to the Biden Administration to save Putin's face, world food prices will double. Putin plans to dramatically increase its share of the global food market by capturing Ukraine's fertile black soils, thereby enabling it to dictate global prices. Russia is obsessed with maximizing its clout in the world's food markets, especially after losing its gas leverage over Europe and the rest of the world. Controlling the world's food market would significantly improve Russia’s geopolitical standing.
Russia can't obtain this goal without Ukraine’s lands. Russia needs Ukraine's black soil to dominate the world food market. Fertile land makes up only 9% of Russia’s territory and up to 67% of Ukraine’s. Russia's influence over world food prices is not a temporary fallout of war as the West thinks, but the primary strategic goal of Russia's war against Ukraine.
