The US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, warned African countries last week not to purchase anything from Russia besides grain and fertilizer, or else they could face sanctions.
Thomas-Greenfield said during a visit to Uganda that countries could buy “Russian agricultural products, including fertilizer and wheat” but added that “if a country decides to engage with Russia, where there are sanctions, then they are breaking those sanctions.”
“We caution countries not to break those sanctions because then … they stand the chance of having actions taken against them,” she added. Thomas-Greenfield said that purchasing Russian oil risks sanctions, even though many of the US’s European allies are still buying Russian crude before a ban takes effect at the end of the year.
Many African nations, including Uganda, have not joined the US in condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and have rightly blamed Western sanctions, as well as the war, for raising food prices and exacerbating shortages.
Western sanctions technically have exemptions for agricultural products, but many shipping companies and banks have stopped doing business with Russia altogether out of caution. History has shown that sanctions cause shortages of humanitarian goods despite exemptions, but the Biden administration has acted surprised by the issue and has quietly encouraged more Russian fertilizer deals in a bid to ease food prices.
Thomas-Greenfield’s comments to Africa came ahead of a visit to the continent by Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The US has been vying for more influence in Africa as China and Russia are expanding ties with African nations. Thomas-Greenfield’s warning demonstrates the US approach of using force to get the results that it wants, which has been backfiring on Washington, and drawing countries closer to China and Russia.
If the indispensable nation keeps this up, it will eventually discover that it isn’t indispensable after all.
It’s coming, and right soon …
But…but…Duane! We’re SEPSHUNAL! We get to make all the rules and if you don’t follow ‘em, we get to starve you into submission!
Are these UN sanctions? No. United States is unilaterally imposing sanctions on the rest of the world. It’s time all the peace-loving countries in the world take as stand in support of democracy, freedom and sovereignty and sanction the United States.
Including the anti-neocon community within the US. Boycott the Republi-Crat party in all elections, organize an initiative petition to defund the Pentagon, and a recall of office-holders who voted to fund the war with Russia in the Ukraine.
Great idea, except your ignoring the fact tha the Democrats are the war party now.
The US is essentially a one party state. “Republi-crat” is a shortened/colloquial form of “Republican-Democrat”.
well, you know more than most Democrats, who don’t realize on 80% of issues they are to the right of Nixon, who they despise.
True the sanctions are illegal.
Ah yes, respect the sovereignty of places that are not even recognized as countries (Taiwan) but trample on the sovereignty of everyone else. We are the worst bullies in the World playground. Sooner or later no one will want to play with us.
Only IsraHell; we’re their cash cow.
But they only play because of that reason. Otherwise, they’d latch their parasite ass on the nearest host.
They already do. They just take the money, then do as they please.
Well said Wars!!!
Globo bully threatening sovereign nations that disagree with it. Shows how warped our leaders and media are that this isnt considered outrageous.
So much for the sovereignty of the African nations.
It sounds a bit Nazi-esque to me…
Not Nazi; but Colonialist-Imperialist, which, to Black African nations, is probably even worse.
Fascist AND imperialist!
The unnamed threats sound pretty fascist to me. The unspoken assumption that the USA can, of course, just dictate to Black Africans is pretty imperialist. Not to mention racist, which is also a hallmark of both fascism and imperialism.
Fascists were all imperialists, but not all imperialists were Fascist. Not sweethearts, but not genuine fascists.
Agreed we should use terms that are less emotional and more descriptive.
Jacobins for example
Colonialist is also another good term.
Dictating to soverign nations in Africa makes America seem like an old school colonel criminal European nation.
There will be blowback from this arrogant action.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield probably thought she was being noble by allowing Africa to buy grain and fertilizer. But that actually opens old wounds. These countries know why access to Russian grain and fertilizer was blocked in the first place.
The Ukrainian grain is going to Europe to feed cattle anyway!
So some of the world’s poorest countries are being bullied into avoiding deals for products they need, even if those products are available at a discount. What a despicable policy. My government disgusts me at times.
“US warns Africa..”
Or what? Are we going to start wars in Africa? Or merely overthrow their uncooperative governments?
Maybe sanction them into starvation? Why not..they’re just a bunch of Black folk.
The rest of the world needs to flip off the Amerikkkan regime and continue forming its own alliances. I foresee the likes of BRICS expanding on a daily basis.
!!!
Yes, the USA will, eventually, as it escalates up the ladder, mount coups, revolutions, proxy wars, and outright invasions of countries that don’t do what it wants.
The USA is a horrible, bully of a nation. An imperialist nightmare for the rest of the world.
The sooner that BRICS and other counter institutions gain the strength to allow nations to “flip off” the USA the better.
Why do you root against your own country? That seems odd. So you want to suffer the consquences of watching everyone you love lose thier lively hood and world standing? Color me confused. Doesn’t sound very Philadelphian to me.
Too many to overthrow! Blinken is wasting bis time on this Threat-o-rama tour of Africa. Africa bas endured a lot. They are ready to endure some more as they see the light at the end of the long colonial and neo-colonial IMF tunnel.
Wash. already has many troops in Africa and bombing Somalia as well.
And China will immediately flood Africa with 1.5 billion Chinese peasants. They already have their cities built; just waiting to accommodate them. The U.S. has been to drunk on their power; to realize what has really been going on around the world; right under their noses.
I do wonder what exactly Africa actually “needs” from the US that it can’t get cheaper and easier from other sources, particularly China, and with far fewer strings attached. Neocons in the US government and “think tanks” constantly fret and worry about growing Chinese and Russian influence in Africa; yet our policies and attitudes are at the same time driving those nations closer to Russia and China.
It’s not so much what African (and other) nations “need” from the USA, but what the USA does to countries that don’t toe the line. The USA, as the rest of the world knows (even if many Americans don’t), basically has a “black list” of countries. Countries that don’t do the bidding of the USA, all the way down the line, face an escalating policy of threats, sanctions, secondary sanctions, political attacks and destablization, economic strangulation, attacks in international institutions, etc, etc, all the way up to and including “regime change,” bombing, aid to armed insurrectionists, proxy war, and outright invasion.
What most nations need and want from the USA is usually nothing more than to be left alone. To NOT be the subject of sanctions, threats, destablization, “color” revolutions, and so on. But the USA will not refrain from those actions, unless the other nation does exactly as the USA demands, including abiding by the endless and endlessly multiplying “sanctions” that the USA has now imposed on (literally) uncountable nations, governments, institutions, goods, services, and individuals.
And yet we have posters even on this board who will maintain until the cows come home that, somehow, none of this in any way restricts or limits the sovereignty of other nations! That’s how strong the Kool Ade is!
And strangely, PL, vicious and vindictive little IsraHell is exempt from all these actions.
Oops, sorry, for a moment there I forgot that the Amerikkkan Congress are bought and sold whores for them.
Is Linda Thomas-Greenfield the cousin of Nikki Haley…?!
It’s clown world.
Another “warning”, this time to whole Continent proving we (the unelected bureaucracy) think we are the lords and masters of the entire planet.
How come we have no diplomats, especially in the UN, instead of DEMANDERS and THREATENERS.
The US extortions are boundless. They must really know how isolated they really are why else do they need extortion to make nations support them? Russia does not have to do that, the USA is making enemies who will side with Russia because they all have the same interest, to destroy the monstrous hegemon USA.
They are drowning in the mess they made, an imploding monster.
“The US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, warned during….a visit to Uganda….’We caution countries not to break…sanctions because then…they stand the chance of having actions taken against them.’”
Hear! Hear! No more of those affordable Russian toys and games your children like…or else!
If I’m Uganda I invite Russia & China to place military bases & advisors there.
Is it any wonder the world hates America? Nobody loves a bully except another bully, i.e. Israel.
Preposterous statement…! One that speeds up the separation of Africa from West and heading it towards East…! US is proficient in self destruction…!
That should give Russia a few more allies.
Deal with Washington or Dear with Russia is a decision that may not be that hard for some ..
Sanctions never seem to have any effect. How many failing examples does it take before they stop this nonsense?