"Since fertilizer is a time-sensitive input into crops, delays and complete cancellations of shipments severely affect yields, leading to increased vulnerability in the food security situation in Africa. This makes it difficult to reach African states that need fertilizer and leads directly to instability in the collective African food system and negative shocks to African economies, which are commodity dependent," Ruzive said in an interview.
"I do not think the risk of that ship [detonating] is any bigger than the ships that are docking everywhere in the EU and in allied nations, so [this] might be just a political hint of sanctions there, framing the boat as a detonation risk, whereas it isn't," the expert noted.
"But when you dig into specificities, it affects issues such as peace and security of the continent, making this a massive geopolitical axis with two actors that would want to exert leverage to achieve their aims. So the flows between Russia and Africa enable Africa to develop its agricultural sector, enhancing food security while simultaneously strengthening the manufacturing might of the Russian Federation," the speaker said.
"Eventually that thing, the domino effect, is going to come back to the European Union," he concluded.