Russia has denied responsibility for the high food prices and the risk of a global hunger crisis and has reacted sharply to accusations by Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens).

Prices rose because of Western sanctions, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on her Telegram channel on Saturday. “If you don’t understand that, it’s either a sign of stupidity or deliberately misleading the public,” she told Baerbock.

Another reason for the global food crisis is the collapse of Ukraine’s statehood – and the West is also responsible for this.

“This is partly due to the predecessors of Mrs. Baerbock, who not only interfered in the situation in the country, but also shaped Ukraine’s domestic and foreign policy by hand,” Zakharova claimed.