NY City: According to French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna, all the problems that many countries in the Global South are currently experiencing—from rising energy prices to food insecurity—are entirely attributable to the conflict that Russia is waging in Ukraine.

Many smaller states feel as though they have been left to fend for themselves because there is no working international order one year after the war began and are more vulnerable than ever.

The UN estimates that over 350 million people in 79 countries are food insecure and unsure of where they will get their next meal.

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Many developing nations, feeling alienated and resentful, believe that the conflict in Ukraine and the West's rivalry with China have detracted from more important problems that are plaguing them, such as debt, climate change, and the COVID-19 pandemic's effects.

The unprecedented sanctions imposed by the West against Moscow are to blame for the high economic cost that many nations are currently experiencing.

Colonna, however, refuted the notion that any Western action harming the Global South is the result of Western policy.

Let's get this straight," she said to Arab News. "We don't take any actions that harm South American nations. To ensure that those nations have both grain and fertiliser, we are making every effort similar to the tonnes of grain exported from Ukraine.

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"On the other hand, yes, the Black Sea blockade caused by Russia's war has increased tension on the food market. Additionally, the Russian war is generally to blame for the volatility of energy prices. Therefore, they are easily understood. We must keep this in mind. It is solely Russian.

President Emmanuel Macron has stated that France will host an international conference on a new global financial agreement in June of this year in order to take stock of "all the means" available.

Colonna stated that the summit's goal is to "build a new contract with the North and the South" in order to make it easier for weaker nations to get the funding they require to deal with current and upcoming crises.

Such a financial agreement, she continued, "will enable the most vulnerable countries to face up to their climate obligations and, more generally, (will) provide them with the tools necessary to develop in a peaceful and democratic manner."

Colonna was speaking in New York shortly after the UN General Assembly passed a resolution demanding that Russia leave Ukraine and cease hostilities in order to mark the first anniversary of the conflict.

There were 141 yes votes and 32 no votes. Russia and six other nations—Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea, Mali, Nicaragua, and Syria—voted against the resolution.

"Russia is trying to persuade some of you that its attempts to disrupt the global order and impose an order based on force will work in their favour," Colonna said to the crowd.

The truth is that only Russia wanted the war, and that war is endangering global food security, especially in the most vulnerable nations, as well as having a negative effect on the majority of the world.

"There should be no more war, blockades, or conflict over food or energy. From tomorrow, (Russia) can and must stop.

Anti-French sentiment has been on the rise in the meantime in France's former colonies in Africa, from Mali to Burkina Faso and the Central African Republic, for a variety of complex reasons.

Russia's influence has been growing as a result of Moscow's desire to increase its presence on the continent, especially since it launched its controversial nuclear programme. This is happening while France has been attempting to drastically change its relations with African nations.

Colonna rejected the notion that France or any other European country had been replaced by Russia in the Sahel, noting that the majority of those countries supported the resolution on Thursday.

When asked by Arab News if she comprehended the resentment and anger that some African nations felt towards the former colonial power, she blamed Russian propaganda.

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She said, "I think we need to look at parallel realities, information manipulation, and the undercover activities of Russia and some of their partners who are already under sanctions in order to answer that question.