'JTFMax'

Vladimir Putin (69) uses Ukraine's grain reserves as a weapon against the West. Even the prospect of a deadly famine in Africa does not make him shy away from it.

In a phone call with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (63) and French President Emmanuel Macron (44), the Kremlin dictator blackmailed the two heads of state: Russia was ready "for grain exports without barriers" – but only if the West relaxed sanctions.

Between the lines is an ice-cold Putin threat: If you don't stop boycotting the Russian economy, we will starve countless people in North Africa. Europe could then face a new wave of refugees.

In the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, there were protests in May because of the sharp increase in food prices

Because countries like Tunisia depend on supplies from Ukraine and Russia to feed their population, Putin's troops have captured at least 400,000 tons of Ukrainian grain. In addition, his ships block the export of up to 30 million tons through Black Sea ports. So for Tunisians, who get 80 percent of their wheat from Ukraine, bread is more expensive than in 14 years. The situation is similarly dramatic in Libya, Egypt and Kenya.

At the same time, the Kremlin dictator Macron and Scholz warned in the 80-minute phone call of further arms deliveries to Ukraine. They are "dangerous" because they risk "further destabilizing the situation and exacerbating the humanitarian crisis." 

Putin would only have to order his troops to withdraw to prevent precisely that.

And Macron and Scholz? According to their statements, they urged Putin to lift the blockade of the Black Sea. They also demanded that the United Nations should negotiate grain exports with Russia.