Portugal’s prime minister, António Costa, has added to warnings that Russia’s suspension of the agreement relating to Ukraine’s exportation of cereals is “very bad news” that could lead to a “global food crisis” if Russia is not persuaded to reverse its position. It was “very badly received: everyone has the notion that this agreement is a fundamental condition to avoid a food crisis on a global scale,” said Mr Costa during a break in the work of the summit in Brussels of the European Union with the countries of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). “There are ongoing negotiations,” he added, explaining that one of these could concern the search for “alternative payment mechanisms, taking into account the sanctions” in place against Russia.
