Putin’s goals with African countries fail, few leaders attend summit

The summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and African leaders began Thursday in St. Petersburg with a much smaller turnout than in previous years.

Putin has sought to strengthen ties with African countries and offered to send free wheat to the continent, which the U.N. warned would not offset Russia’s withdrawal from a key grain agreement. Russia has also targeted Ukrainian ports.

Only 17 African heads of state are attending this year, the Kremlin confirmed, less than half of the 43 heads of state attending the 2019 conference.

Ahead of the event, the Kremlin expressed outrage at the low turnout and accused the U.S. and its Western allies of exerting “unprecedented pressure” on African countries to derail the summit.

Among those absent is Kenyan President William Ruto, whose government has criticized Russia’s recent decision to withdraw from the Black Sea Grains Agreement, calling the move a “stab in the back of global food safety prices.”

On July 17, Moscow made the decision to withdraw from the agreement that ensured the safe export of Ukrainian wheat to the rest of the world, sparking new fears about global food supplies, particularly in parts of Africa that depend on exports from Russia and Ukraine .

Many African countries rely heavily on Russia and Ukraine for their wheat imports. UN data show that 90-100% of Somalia and Eritrea’s grain needs come from both countries.

According to the African Development Bank (AfDB), grain shortages have exacerbated food insecurity on the continent and driven up food prices.

Some African leaders – apart from simply not attending the summit – expressed grave concern about Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.

“I don’t think this moment is a good time for summits in Russia,” they said. “Because Russia is involved in a war, a conflict,” said Raila Odinga, the Kenyan opposition leader.

“Africa has to take a very firm stance on this issue. It is a question of right and wrong. So I believe that instead of aggression, we cannot be neutral. “You have to take a stand one way or another,” Odinga said.

But attitudes are changing. While 17 others on the continent, including South Africa, voted to abstain. Eight other African countries did not vote at all. Another 28 African countries voted to condemn Russia’s aggression against Ukraine./The Geopost/