Russian President Vladimir Putin attended a summit in St. Petersburg to strengthen political and business ties with Africa. During the summit, Putin expressed his support for a peace proposal for Ukraine, which the African leaders have sought to pursue. He encouraged them to engage in dialogue with Ukraine, despite their refusal to participate until Russian troops pull back.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed hope for constructive engagement and negotiation to resolve the ongoing conflict. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni denounced ideologically-driven military conflicts, stating that dialogue is the correct way to resolve disputes.
Putin also reaffirmed Russia’s commitment to maintaining steady supplies of grain and other agricultural products to Africa. This comes after Moscow’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, raising concerns about a global food crisis. He pledged to provide free grain and supplies to several African countries, including Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, Eritrea, and the Central African Republic.
However, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres noted that the donation of grain cannot compensate for the impact of Moscow cutting off grain exports from Ukraine. The U.N. is in contact with Turkey, Ukraine, Russia, and other countries to try to reestablish the agreement that allowed Ukraine to export over 32 million tons of grain.
The Russia-Africa summit aims to strengthen ties between Russia and the continent, which is home to 1.3 billion people and plays a significant role in global affairs. The summit marked a renewed effort by the Kremlin to forge closer relations with Africa. Putin acknowledged Africa’s importance in the emerging “multipolar world order” and emphasized the shared desire to defend sovereignty and pursue distinctive paths of development.
Russia plans to expand trade and economic ties with Africa and relieve their debt burden by writing off another $90 million of their debts. Additionally, Russia is willing to strengthen defense ties by providing military training and equipment to African countries on a no-cost basis.
The summit saw a decrease in attendance compared to the first Russia-Africa summit in 2019. The Kremlin attributed this decline to Western pressure discouraging African countries from participating. However, Putin emphasized the vital role that Africa plays on the global stage and the need for cooperation in a multipolar world.