UNITED NATIONS, July 22. /TASS/. Western countries make absolutely no secret of the fact that they are interested in Ukraine only as a source of agricultural products and natural resources, Russian Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Dmitry Chumakov said.

"The desire of certain States to acquire the natural resources of other countries at a bargain price has often been - and continues to be - the cause of profound security crises," he said during an open debate on natural resources governance at the UN Security Council. "Ukraine is no exception. To a number of western countries, Ukraine matters not only as a geopolitical foothold but also as a source of abundant agricultural resources and critically important minerals, including rare-earth elements. Indeed, they do not even hesitate to admit this publicly."

In this context, Chumakov also mentioned the military interventions in Iraq, Libya, and Syria, where "the battle for political clout was accompanied by a struggle for natural resources."

"And today’s crisis in the Middle East is largely linked to issues of control over key energy and transportation corridors, including the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant share of the world’s hydrocarbon supplies passes," he said.