The first day of the "Russia-Africa" summit in St. Petersburg concluded, with 49 African delegations, including 17 heads of states, arriving in the northern capital. In comparison, 43 African leaders attended the summit in 2019, Euronews has reported.
Addressing the guests, Russian President Vladimir Putin once again accused the West of the failure of the grain deal, which Moscow terminated last week, thereby halting the export of Ukrainian grain through Istanbul.
"Russia participated in this so-called deal, taking into account the obligations to remove illegitimate obstacles for our grain and fertilizer supplies to the global markets. I want to tell you that this, and primarily this, is assistance to the poorest countries. In reality, nothing happened as we discussed and were promised," said Vladimir Putin.
President Putin also promised to provide free grain to six countries, including Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, Central African Republic, and Eritrea, ranging from 25,000 to 50,000 tons.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe has already stated that Harare does not need additional grain, although he thanked the Russian President.
According to estimates by "The Agency," Vladimir Putin's offer could cost these countries tens of millions of dollars more than buying Ukrainian grain. The "gift" would not cover their entire food needs, and the remainder would have to be purchased at an increased price due to the absence of the grain deal.
The African Union stated that the priority for African countries is to resume the grain deal, as "the consequences affect the whole world, and particularly Africa in socio-economic matters."
Follow Daryo's official Instagram and Threads pages to keep up to date on world news.
Comments (0)