The grain deliveries to African countries are intended to compensate for the loss of exports from Ukraine, as he explained in his opening speech broadcast on Russian television. Among the states mentioned by Putin are Burkina Faso, Mali and the Central African Republic, three countries that had recently moved closer to Moscow.
Russia can “replace Ukrainian grain in trade, free of charge,” Putin said. His country is a “strong and responsible producer”. The expiry of the agreement on the export of Ukrainian grain in mid-July had led to fears about grain supplies, particularly to African countries.
In his opening speech, Putin also reiterated Russian accusations that western countries were obstructing the export of grain and fertilizers from Russia. Allegations that Russia put an end to the grain agreement are therefore wrong.
Prior to the meeting, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on the participating African states to demand a solution from Putin to the food crisis triggered by a lack of grain exports. “You know exactly who is to blame for the current situation,” Blinken said during a visit to New Zealand. He expects “that Russia will hear this clearly from our African partners”.
German Development Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD) told the Funke media group: “Anyone who promises cheap Russian wheat to African countries and at the same time bombs Ukrainian grain ports does not want to fight hunger, they just want to create new dependencies.” She accused Putin of a “PR show”.
The Africa-Russia summit was also overshadowed by the simultaneous putsch in Niger. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the issue would be “actively” addressed at the meeting.
Niger is the third country in the Sahel since 2020, after Mali and Burkina Faso, in which a coup is taking place. In Burkina Faso and Mali, the new rulers had turned their backs on Western states and strengthened their ties with Russia.
Delegations from 49 African countries – including 17 heads of state such as South African President Cyril Ramaphosa – had announced that they would attend the two-day summit in Putin’s hometown. South Africa’s presidential office said on Wednesday that Ramaphosa and Putin would discuss measures to “create the conditions for a path to peace between Russia and Ukraine.”
45 heads of state or government took part in the first edition of the Africa-Russia summit in the Black Sea city of Sochi in 2019, and a total of 54 African countries were represented with delegations. Before the start of this year’s summit, the Kremlin complained that the West had put “unprecedented pressure” on African states to stay away from the meeting.
For Friday, Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov has announced that Putin will give a “major speech” in which he will speak about relations between Russia and Africa and the “emergence of a new world order.”
Since the start of the Ukraine offensive, Russia has increasingly sought closer relations with Africa. During several trips abroad this year, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized Russia’s opposition to “Western imperialism” in an attempt to persuade heads of state to support Moscow.
In several African countries, Putin still enjoys support, particularly on the security front: Russian mercenary group Wagner is a key player in African conflicts – but their failed uprising against Russian military leaders last month has raised questions about the group’s future in Africa.
