Russian FM, on African tour, denies ‘so-called food crisis’

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Russia’s foreign minister on Wednesday denied his country is responsible for the global surge in food prices following its invasion of Ukraine, dismissing the “so-called food crisis” as he completed a visit to several African nations on a continent hit especially hard. Sergey Lavrov addressed reporters and African diplomats in Ethiopia’s capital. Many African countries rely heavily on wheat imports from Russia and Ukraine, and African leaders weeks ago visited Moscow to express their food security concerns. But many African nations haven’t openly criticized Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.