Russian President Vladimir Putin promised African leaders on Thursday that he would provide them with tens of thousands of tonnes of food within months, despite Western sanctions that he said made it difficult for Moscow to sell grain and fertilizer.
Putin stated at a Russian-African meeting in St. Petersburg that Russia was anticipating a record grain crop and was ready to replace Ukrainian grain shipments to Africa on both a commercial and assistance basis to honour Moscow’s crucial role in world food security.
“We will be ready to provide 25–50,000 metric tonnes of free grain each to Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, the Central African Republic, and Eritrea in the next 3–4 months,” Putin told the summit’s delegates, who cheered.
“We will also provide free delivery of these products to consumers.”
The gathering follows Russia’s first Africa summit in 2019 and is part of a coordinated push for influence and business on a continent where Russian Wagner Group mercenaries continue operating despite an unsuccessful mutiny at home last month.
Responding to Western criticism of Moscow’s decision to withdraw from the Black Sea grain deal, which allowed Ukraine to ship grain from its seaports for a year despite the war, Putin reiterated his argument that promises made to Russia about facilitating its own grain and fertiliser exports had been ignored.
The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, said on Monday that a rise in global food prices caused by the collapse of the Black Sea deal and Russia’s bombing of Danube river ports used by Ukraine as a backdoor export route was “especially devastating for vulnerable countries struggling to feed their people.”
Putin told the summit that more than 70% of Ukrainian grain shipped under the now-defunct agreement went to high- or above-average-income nations, including the European Union, while the poorest countries, such as Sudan, were “screwed over” and received less than 3% of the supplies.
He made no mention of the larger impact of Ukrainian supplies on global market pricing.
He said that Western sanctions implemented in reaction to Russia’s conflict in Ukraine, which Moscow refers to as a “special military operation,” had even blocked Russia from giving needy nations free fertiliser.
“A perplexing picture is emerging.” On the one hand, Western nations restrict supply of our grain and fertilisers while hypocritically blaming us for the current crisis situation on the global food market,” Putin remarked.
Azali Assoumani, who shared the platform with Putin, used his own address to call for “peaceful coexistence” between Russia and Ukraine, saying it would save the lives of those who rely on their food exports.
According to Russia, 49 of Africa’s 54 states are represented in St. Petersburg, including 17 by heads of state and four by leaders of government.
That is less than half the number of leaders who attended the last summit in 2019—a drop that the Kremlin has attributed in part to attempts by the US, France, and other Western countries to discourage leaders from going.
In his address, Putin mentioned a number of industries, including energy, media, transportation, commerce, financial services, medical, agriculture, and automobile production, where Moscow was willing to exchange knowledge or conduct business. He also stated that Russia is eager to accept more African students.
Panel talks on issues ranging from security, nuclear energy, and artificial intelligence to education and sports are included in the curriculum.
Visits to Russia’s royal palaces and a gala match between Russian and African “football legends” were also on the agenda for visiting dignitaries.
