Putin Takes Evenge On West

Russia Warns Of Soaring Global Food Prices As Inflation Could Top 9.5%

- Steph Spyro and Macer Hall

VENGEFUL Vladimir Putin hit back at the West’s crippling sanctions yesterday by threatening to send global food prices soaring and imposing his own export bans.

The Russian President warned of rocketing costs if economic pressure intensifies on his country as UK experts claimed inflation here could hit 9.5 per cent. BorisJohnson last night admitted Putin’s war will inflict further cost of living pain on Britons, adding: “It may be a bumpy period, but we’ll get through it as fast and as well as we possibly can.”

The Prime Minister pledged to ease the burden on consumers – and to ditch Russian oil and gas.

Responding to a question by Sky’s Beth Rigby over household energy bills soaring to potentially £3,000 a year, he said: “Now is the time to unleash an extraordinary programme of energy independence through massive investment in renewables, in more nuclear, a lot more nuclear, and also in sensible use of our own hydrocarbons, with our own oil and gas and without busting our carbon budget.”

Putin vowed to send world food prices soaring if Western countries tighten economic curbs.

In a Kremlin address he said: “Russia and [its ally] Belarus are some of the biggest suppliers of mineral fertilisers. If [Western countries] continue to create problems for the financing and logistics of the delivery of our goods, then prices will rise and this will affect the final product, food products.”

Russia last night banned exports of 200 types of goods including telecoms, medical items and timber plus motor, agricultural and electrical gear until the end of this year.