Ukrainian soldiers drive through a wheat field near the front in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine accuses Russia of stealing crops from occupied territories and exporting them to Russia. picture alliance/AA/Ercin Erturk
Despite the war in Ukraine, Bayer AG continues to sell medical and agricultural products to Russia.
Bayer board member Rodrigo Santos defended the exports in an interview with Business Insider.
The group adheres to the sanctions regime of the G7 – but an export ban on medical and agricultural products will not help to end the Russian war against Ukraine.
Despite the sanctions imposed by the USA, the EU and their allies against Russia, not all business with Russia by Western companies has come to a standstill after Moscow’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. The German pharmaceutical giant Bayer also continues to sell products to Russia.
In an interview with Business Insider, Rodrigo Santos, the Bayer board member responsible for the agricultural division, explains why the company is not giving up its business in Russia completely. “Bayer has suspended all spending in Russia and Belarus that is not related to the provision of essential health and agricultural products,” Santos said. “These are essential medicines and products for the civilian population – consumers and farmers – which, according to the G7 agreement, can be delivered there.”
According to Santos, Bayer has also stopped all advertising activities in Russia. At the same time, the group is expanding its supplies, investments and donations in Ukraine to help the country.
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“There is no excuse for what Russia has done”
However, Ukraine in particular clearly criticizes the fact that many Western companies – including Bayer – continue to do business with Russia.
He respects this position, says Santos. But: “We supply products such as medicines for pregnant women or cancer patients, seeds for food production. We follow the spirit of the G7, which argues that failure to supply certain products to Russia would worsen the general world situation. Your absence from this country will not bring an end to the war, even though we wish it would.”
Bayer condemns the Russian aggression in Ukraine. “There is no excuse for what they did. And that is why we support Ukraine very much.”
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Lest here the full interview with Bayer Board Member Rodrigo Santos from our colleagues at Business Insider Poland.
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