Yet it's precisely butter that's been a headache for Russia, with a 25.7% price increase this year.
"There is a well-known phrase: guns instead of butter," Putin said last February.
By the end of October, the price of butter in Russia was up 25.7% compared to December 2023, per government statistics.
Why butter prices are on the riseA week before that meeting, the same union said the country wasn't experiencing a butter shortage, but added that about 25% of local butter consumption comes from foreign suppliers.
AdvertisementAnother major dairy supplier complying with wartime sanctions, New Zealand, sold $88.8 million worth of butter to Russia yearly before the invasion began.
Persons:
Putin, —, Vladimir Putin
Organizations:
Service, MMI, Gazeta, United Arab Emirates
Locations:
Ukraine, Russia, Russian, Moscow, Latin America, New Zealand, Turkey