Putin: Europeans will have to go to Russia even for turnips

The harvest in Russia is much higher than in Europe, even for turnips they will have to go to Russia. This was stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin during his speech at the congress of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP).

“It got to the point that their leaders [западных стран] offer their citizens to switch to turnips instead of lettuce and tomato. Turnips are a good product, but you will probably have to go to us for turnips too. Nevertheless, our harvest level significantly exceeds those of our neighbors in Europe,” he said.

Putin recalled that in March 2022, after the start of a special operation in Ukraine, many Western companies were forced to leave the Russian market under pressure from the authorities. “At that time, foreign analysts predicted a depression and a decline in the consumer sector, promised empty store shelves, a massive shortage of goods, a failure of the service sector, but life decided otherwise,” the head of state said.

Putin said it would be difficult for Western countries to do without Russian fertilizers to boost their crops. The President noted that in general, the situation with anti-Russian sanctions resembles the proverb “don’t dig a hole for another, otherwise you will fall into it yourself.”

Since the beginning of the special operation in Ukraine, the United States has repeatedly imposed sanctions on Russia. In particular, fertilizers were also subject to restrictions under the fifth package. In mid-January, the Financial Time newspaper reported that the income of Russian fertilizer exporters in 2022 grew up by 70% to $16.7 billion compared to the level of 2021. India, Turkey and Vietnam were among the importers.