Putin mocks the west over food shortage worries
Putin also claimed that Russia’s economy is holding firm despite Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine.
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Moscow, Mar 18: President Vladimir Putin mocked Britain for having to eat turnips while failing to bring Russia's economy to its knees with sanctions. He suggested to the West should go to Russia for vegetables amid a massive food crisis.
Putin also claimed that Russia’s economy is holding firm despite Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine. “Life had other ideas,” he said. “The Western countries themselves ran into all the same problems. It's got to the point where their leaders suggest that citizens switch to turnips instead of lettuce or tomatoes,” Putin was quoted by The Independent as saying.
Putin added that turnip is a good product, “but they would also probably have to go for turnips to Russia, because our level of the harvest, after all, significantly exceeds those figures of our neighbors in Europe." The Russian president was referring to remarks made by farming minister Therese Coffey, who earlier had said that the UK is struggling to get hold of imported tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers in supermarkets and could consider more seasonal home-grown turnips. While Russia's 2 percent economic contraction last year defied most early forecasts, analysts say it will be years before it regains its 2021 size, and longer until it returns to its previous growth path, reported The Independent. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecast the Russian economy to grow 0.3 percent this year; far lower than the 3.75 percent in 2022 before the invasion. While praising Russia's resilience, Putin also acknowledged risks to the economy and told business leaders to put patriotism before profit.
He urged Russia's billionaires to invest in new technology, production facilities, and enterprises to help the country overcome the attempts made by the West to destroy its economy. He claimed that there are even more opportunities for business development and expansion and "Russian business should not miss this".