“Russia will replace Ukrainian cereals destined for Africa”, assures Putin

2023-07-24 08:13:02

Russian President Vladimir Putin guaranteed on Monday that Moscow would replace Ukrainian grain destined for Africa, a week after abandoning a crucial grain agreement for world food and ahead of a Russia-Africa summit. “I want to reassure that our country is able to replace Ukrainian cereals on a commercial basis and at no cost, especially as we expect another record harvest this year,” wrote the head of state in an article published on the Kremlin website.

“Russia will continue its vigorous efforts to ensure the distribution of cereals, foodstuffs, fertilizers and other goods to Africa,” added the Russian president. He also promises an expansion “of the network of Russian embassies and trade missions” on the continent, while a Russia-Africa summit is to open on Thursday in Saint Petersburg.

Insufficient deliveries and impediments to Russian exports

In one year, the grain agreement has enabled nearly 33 million tonnes of grain to leave Ukrainian ports, mainly corn and wheat, helping to stabilize world food prices and avert the risk of shortages. But last week, Vladimir Putin announced that he was ending this agreement because of insufficient grain deliveries to poor countries and obstacles to his own exports of agricultural products and fertilizers. The African Union had for its part “regretted” the Russian withdrawal from the agreement.

Moscow said on Friday that it understood “the concerns” of African countries, promising to continue to deliver to countries in need. Russia also said last week that it would consider ships bound for Ukraine in the Black Sea as potentially carrying military cargo.