EU Blocks Fertilizer to 3rd World, Lambasts Russia for a Blockade That Doesn't Exist
Von der Leyen excelling in the hypocrisy Olympics as always
EU's Ursula von der Leyen (the winner of Anti-Empire’s Most Supportive Wife of 2021 Award) informs us that "the Kremlin is again using food as a weapon":
The statement is in reference to Ukraine's grain (mainly produced by agricultural giants).
The statement is a curious one for multiple reasons. First of all, a Russian naval blockade can not actually block Ukrainian grain from getting out. Ukraine isn't an island and has railways. Even with a naval blockade grain could get out, but it would take longer, and the process would strain transloading yards between Ukraine and its neighbors where cargo has to switch onto narrow-gauge cars.
Secondly, since August 1 even this naval blockade no longer exists as Russia has removed it voluntarily.
But the biggest reason this is such a strange statement is that albeit a Russian blockade on Ukrainian grain no longer even exists, a naval blockade against fertilizer coming out from Russia very much does exist and has been steadily getting tighter:
Initially, the bans did not apply to the transit of Russian fertilizers to third countries that used the EU’s infrastructure.
On August 10, however, Brussels further tightened the sanctions by extending the ban to include European operators’ activities related to the transit of Russian fertilizers that were destined for third countries through the bloc’s administrative borders.
Moreover, under the new sanctions regime, the supply of fertilizers to third countries, even without the use of the EU’s territory and infrastructure, will be considered a violation of the sanctions.
The provision of transportation, transhipment and trading services by European companies, along with any related services, such as insurance, financial and brokerage operations and technical assistance, is now prohibited.
EU hasn't just threatened Europeans with prison if they import fertilizer from Russia. It has banned European entities from transporting fertilizer to third locations or having any dealings with those who do, right down to offering insurance, maintenance, or docking.
EU's war on fertilizer shipments isn't enforced with warships, but in practice it is far more consequential than Russia's military blockade of Ukraine which also no longer even exists.
The European Union has gone even further by extending the sanctions to the developing world. The prohibition on Russian fertilizer transit operations to third countries has had devastating consequences on billions of people in Asia, Africa, and Latin America in the form of severe fertilizer shortages, declining agriculture, and the spread of hunger.
Von der Leyen talks about "global food security" while 300,000 tons of Russian fertilizer is stuck in EU ports albeit Russia is now willing to transport and give it away to Africans for free.
You wouldn't know it from the media, but the UN has actually been calling on the EU to cease its blockade and allow the Third World to feed itself. Albeit the Western-run UN is of course refraining from strong language and condemnation that would doubtlessly be there if the culprit was Russia.
Von der Leyen is lambasting Russia for an anti-food blockade that does not exist, while having organized a much more significant starvation blockade herself.
And while patting herself on the back for alleged charity toward the Third World:
I don't get it; where is the 'hypocrisy' in the EU leader's position? *a feigning to be what one is not or to believe what one does not : behavior that contradicts what one claims to believe or feel.
The message is internally consistent - it makes perfect sense, and has the added utility of mocking the intended audience - so as to produce a sense of shame & befuddlement on the part of those citizen serfs who read the missive - the narrative is impossible to follow(make sense of), so give up on trying to understand what's going down, and return to monitoring your thermostat to make sure you are in compliance with our 19c directive!
The problem here is that the westerling has so thoroughly been inculcated with mind-controlled compliance to the form of double speak which now passes as 'discussion' that they merely respond to the inserted 'prompts' - a la "NLP" type training and register their satisfaction with being 'reminded' that their programming still adequately interprets their best interests and present circumstance.
Nobody is being gaslight into auto-destruction here. No one has to agree to strangle their own food/energy/brain cell supply - this is all a beautiful and collective effort to "save the planet".///
for the enjoyment and edification of the '66,000' hooish (male)virgins who will be 'left behind' to enjoy the lonely orb - after the riff raff have completed their sacrificial ritual.
You don't believe me of course. It's too outlandish. So - once I offer the obligatory links to the very passages which support this outlandish disclosure of what's REALLY going on here - please note that you will be 'voluntarily' declining to pursue the information which details your own acceptance of your grisly fate. And then return to the more enjoyable pastime of watching the scripted drama taking place in the march lands of eastern europe///building site of the new colossus which will replace the dying subcontinent to it's west.
fertilizer from Belarus that used to move through Lithuania to Brazil is now being moved by ferry to China and from there to Brazil. Its way more expensive but after reaching almost zero in August, Brazilian imports of Belarussian fertilizer have been increasing week after week