Moscow has lobbied the West to relax sanctions against Russia over the conflict in Ukraine, attempting to deflect blame for a growing food crisis.

It was exacerbated by Kyiv’s inability to ship millions of tons of grain and other agricultural supplies due to the fighting.

The UK promptly accused Moscow of “trying to hold the world to ransom” and stated that no sanctions relief will be granted.

Ukraine is a major producer of wheat, corn, and sunflower oil, but the conflict, which includes a Russian blockade of its ports.

Allowing to stop much of that production from leaving the country, putting the world’s food supply in jeopardy.

Many of those ports are intensively mined in recent years.

Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, attempted to place the blame for the crisis completely on Western sanctions.