US
Janet Yellen – United States Treasury Secretary
“What we want is for Russian oil to continue to flow to world markets in order to contain the growth of global oil prices and avoid a jump that could provoke a global recession,” Yellen told the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday.
FRANCE
Bruno Le Maire – French Finance Minister
Europe is currently “in the peak of inflation,” which “will last for a few more weeks, or even months” Le Maire told RMC on Wednesday. “There is the war in Ukraine, the Chinese lockdown, so the inflationary peak we are in today will last a few more weeks or months. I say this very seriously so that everyone can see exactly the situation,” he said while adding that the situation would cool down by the beginning of 2023.
TURKEY
Hulusi Akar – Turkish Defense Minister
Akar stated on Tuesday that Ankara is ready to contribute to a safe export of grain from Ukraine’s ports. Speaking after the phone call with his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoigu, the Turkish official said that “attention was paid to the measures that can be taken for the safe transportation of grain, sunflower, and other agricultural products. Turkey is committed to providing support in the field of humanitarian assistance and reiterated its readiness to fulfill its part to achieve peace in the region.”
LITHUANIA
Gitanas Nauseda – Lithuanian President
Baltic and German authorities have agreed that defense in the Baltic region must be reinforced amidst the military operation in Ukraine, Nauseda told reporters after a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. “We agreed that we must strengthen defensive capabilities in the Baltic countries by increasing the number of deployed troops, adding to air and maritime defense,” he said.
