With his Ukrainian invasion now looking positively comical in its execution, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin needs a new angle to remain relevant on the world’s stage.  All of the fear that he manufactured regarding his “potent” military has been washed away by the reality on the ground in Ukraine, essentially poking a major hole in his boogeyman routine.

And so now, in a desperate plea for import, the Kremlin is looking to hold the global grain supply hostage. 

Russia will lift its blockade of the Black Sea and once again allow grain to be exported from Ukraine once Western nations lift sanctions, the country’s Deputy Foreign Minister has said.

With millions of tons of grain stuck in Ukraine due to Russia blockading the Black Sea, Western powers have been formulating various plans and schemes to get food exports once again flowing out of Ukraine.

But then came a rather tacit admission.

However, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia, Andrei Rudenko, has made clear the restriction of the food supply is a power play by Moscow, saying the flow of food so badly needed by the developing world will only resume once sanctions are lifted on Russia.

According to a report by Russian state news agency Interfax, Rudenko said that Moscow was “ready for dialogue” regarding allowing the export of food from Ukraine, but that an agreement on the issue could only be reached via concessions from the West.

“We have repeatedly commented on the matter [of grain exports] and said that a resolution of the food problem would require a comprehensive approach, including the lifting of sanctions imposed on Russian exports and financial transactions,” the agency reports Rudenko as saying, having also emphasised that Russia was supposedly ready to talk to anyone seeking “a peaceful resolution of all problems”.

“Russia is ready to provide the necessary humanitarian passage, as it is doing every day,” he went on to say.

Russia’s economy is on the brink of total meltdown, as the crippling sanctions have made it near impossible for Russia to pay its debts, and the US is now set to force the nation’s first default in 105 years.

With his Ukrainian invasion now looking positively comical in its execution, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin needs a new angle to remain relevant on the world’s stage.  All of the fear that he manufactured regarding his “potent” military has been washed away by the reality on the ground in Ukraine, essentially poking a major hole in his boogeyman routine. And so now, in a desperate plea for import, the Kremlin is looking to hold the global grain supply hostage.  Russia will lift its blockade of the Black Sea and once again allow grain to be exported from Ukraine once Western nations lift sanctions, the country’s Deputy Foreign Minister has said. With millions of tons of grain stuck in Ukraine due to Russia blockading the Black Sea, Western powers have been formulating various plans and schemes to get food exports once again flowing out of Ukraine. But then came a rather tacit admission. However, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia, Andrei Rudenko, has made clear the restriction of the food supply is a power play by Moscow, saying the flow of food so badly needed by the developing world will only resume once sanctions are lifted on Russia. According to a report by Russian state news agency Interfax, Rudenko said that Moscow was “ready for dialogue” regarding allowing the export of food from Ukraine, but that an agreement on the issue could only be reached via concessions from the West. “We have repeatedly commented on the matter [of grain exports] and said that a resolution of the food problem would require a comprehensive approach, including the lifting of sanctions imposed on Russian exports and financial transactions,” the agency reports Rudenko as saying, having also emphasised that Russia was supposedly ready to talk to anyone seeking “a peaceful resolution of all problems”. “Russia is…

In the wake of this week’s elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, politicians have wasted no time jumping into the grim spotlight that the tragedy has provided, and some in rather self-serving ways.

We’ve seen our elected officials twist and spin the heinous shooting in all manner of directions, from the predictable calls for more security at our schools, to bringing back the assault weapon ban.

But, in her typically-tangential fashion, House Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has managed to squeeze some toxic masculinity into the conversation. 

Controversial Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took aim at Congress and a patriarchal society in a social-media rant in the wake of the shooting at a Texas school that left 21 people dead.

“There’s so many different areas and issues where all of us agree – if not all, an overwhelming amount of us agree. And Congress still can’t get their s*** together,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a nearly hour-long video posted on her Instagram account.

Her suggestion was a bit out there for some.

In the wake of this week’s elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, politicians have wasted no time jumping into the grim spotlight that the tragedy has provided, and some in rather self-serving ways. We’ve seen our elected officials twist and spin the heinous shooting in all manner of directions, from the predictable calls for more security at our schools, to bringing back the assault weapon ban. But, in her typically-tangential fashion, House Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has managed to squeeze some toxic masculinity into the conversation.  Controversial Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took aim at Congress and a patriarchal society in a social-media rant in the wake of the shooting at a Texas school that left 21 people dead. “There’s so many different areas and issues where all of us agree – if not all, an overwhelming amount of us agree. And Congress still can’t get their s*** together,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a nearly hour-long video posted on her Instagram account. Her suggestion was a bit out there for some. Ocasio-Cortez also took aim at toxic masculinity that she said glorified aspects such as guns and violence. She told people to “check” the men in their life. “It just feels like there’s very few role models and examples of people talking about this in healthy ways,” she said. “And it’s a big problem because there are a lot of crises.” This may not be AOC’s most cogent argument surrounding the Second Amendment, but it certainly did provide a good laugh.