Vladimir Putin has promised free grain deliveries to six African countries “in the coming months,” according to Russian television, during a summit in Saint Petersburg.
On Thursday, July 27, Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged to deliver cereals free of charge to six African countries. “In the coming months, we will be able to ensure free deliveries of 25 to 50,000 tonnes of cereals to Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, the Central African Republic, and Eritrea,” he stated in his opening speech broadcast on Russian television at the Russia-Africa Summit in Saint Petersburg. This promise carries significant weight, as concerns mount globally about the fate of Ukrainian cereals, which are currently blocked in the country.
The summit comes more than a week after the expiration of the agreement that allowed the export of Ukrainian cereals via the Black Sea, causing concern among African countries. Moscow has already stated its understanding of these concerns and seeks to reassure its African partners at a time when the Kremlin aims to attract countries from this continent to its side, positioning itself as a bulwark against Western “imperialism” and “neocolonialism.”
