Russia’s President Vladimir Putin promised African countries this Monday that he would continue to supply grain despite sanctions against Moscow, in an article published by the Kremlin ahead of Thursday’s and Friday’s Russia-Africa summit.
“We fully understand the importance of interrupting the supply of food for the socio-economic development and political stability of African states,” the Russian head of state wrote in the article quoted by the Spanish news agency EFE, adding that for this reason Russia “has always paid close attention to issues related to the importation of wheat, barley, maize and other crops into African countries.”
In the article, Putin points out: “And we did that not only on our own, on a contract basis, but also for free, in the form of humanitarian aid, including through the United Nations World Food Programme.”
He recalled that Russia exported nearly 11.5 million tons of grain to Africa last year and nearly 10 million tons in the first six months of 2023 alone.
Regarding the suspension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which allowed the export of Black Sea grains through Ukrainian ports, Putin argues that this was done because “it only served to enrich the major North American and European companies that exported and resold grains from Ukraine”, emphasizing that “in almost a year, of the total 32.8 million tons of cargo, more than 70% was destined for high and middle income countries, including the European Union, while countries such as Ethiopia, So edan and Somalia, in addition to Yemen and Afghanistan, received less than 3%.
In addition, Putin stressed that none of Russia’s demands regarding the lifting of sanctions against Russian exports of grains and fertilizers to world markets had been met, but still assured: “Despite the sanctions, Russia will continue to make strong efforts to send grains, food, fertilizers and other commodities to Africa”.
In the article, the Russian president also says that an action plan on the Russia-Africa Association Forum should be adopted in St. Petersburg by 2026 and that a series of bilateral documents will be signed.
Source: DN
