(Photo : ALEXEY DANICHEV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin offered free grain to six African nations, accusing Western powers of "outrageous" pressure to keep them away.
Despite Russian President Vladimir Putin's claim that he is sending food for altruistic reasons, the six African nations he has sent gratis grain to reflect Russia's foreign policy priorities in the region.
At a meeting with African leaders on Thursday, Putin announced that Russia would deliver between 25,000 and 50,000 tons of free maize to Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Eritrea, Mali, Somalia, and Zimbabwe over the next few months.
Putin Pledges Free Grain For African Countries
According to NY Times, five of these nations voted against Russia in February at the United Nations in favor of a resolution calling for an end to the conflict in Ukraine. Mali and the Central African Republic have relied on Russia's Wagner mercenaries to bolster their authoritarian administrations and are now being rewarded for their fealty to Moscow.
Burkina Faso, Russia, and the Wagner mercenaries are attempting to expand their foothold in a third country. Two others, Eritrea and Zimbabwe, are already regarded as pariahs by the West, and the prospect of grain only serves to bring them closer to Moscow.
Somalia is the only country of the six that did not stand with Russia at the United Nations in February, but its leaders have recently shown evidence of a closer relationship with Moscow.
According to Russia's state news agency, the Somali foreign minister visited Moscow in May, and the Kremlin pledged to support Somalia's demands to abolish international sanctions, including an arms embargo.
Putin stated in his keynote address at the summit, "We will be able to provide between 25,000 and 50,000 tons of grain to Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, the Central African Republic, and Eritrea for free in the coming months."
Per China Daily, the grain agreement enabled approximately 33 million tons of grain to depart Ukrainian ports over a year, helping stabilize global food prices and prevent shortages.
Putin promoted the two-day summit that began in Russia's second-largest city as a significant event that would help strengthen relations with a continent of 1.3 billion people that is becoming more assertive on the international stage.
The forum will give our political and humanitarian partnership a boost for many years to come. Putin met privately with Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Wednesday and announced that Russia would more than quadruple the number of Ethiopian students it sponsors and cover their education expenses.
The United States and the World Food Programme have exerted pressure on Ethiopia's government following the extraordinary decision to suspend food aid to the country earlier this year due to the discovery of massive aid theft. They seek reforms involving the relinquishment of government control over assistance distribution.
Russia-Egypt Expands Bilateral Cooperation
Putin also visited with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Wednesday, praising their expanding bilateral commerce, which accounts for approximately one-third of Russia's trade with Africa.
It's the second summit between Russia and Africa since 2019. Due to what the Kremlin characterized as "crude Western pressure" to discourage African nations from participating, the number of participating chiefs of state has decreased from 43 to 17.
The Kremlin condemned "unconcealed flagrant interference by the United States, France, and other states via their diplomatic missions in African countries, as well as attempts to exert pressure on the leadership of these countries to prevent their active participation in the forum."
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged African leaders attending the summit to demand answers regarding the maize shortages that have pushed impoverished nations into crisis.
According to Vsevolod Sviridov of the Center for African Studies at HSE University, the summit will provide an occasion to exchange perspectives on crucial issues.
Related Article: Putin Declares Deployment of Nuclear Weapon to Belarus, Near Ukraine
