ALBAWABA - In the Russian city of St. Petersburg, Russian President Vladimir Putin hosts the second Africa-Russia Summit, with the war in Ukraine and food security being a top priority, especially after Russia's decision to pull out of an international grain deal last week.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a statement: "The Russian president will first meet with Azali Assoumani, chairman of the African Union and president of the Comoros, and Faki Mahamat, chair of the African Union Commission. This will be followed by a plenary session of the Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum,".
In the plenary session, Putin addressed the attendees saying: "I would like to note that last year trade turnover between Russia and Africa reached $18 bln,".
"70% of wheat went to high-income countries via the Black Sea Grain Deal, Russia to provide African countries with 25,000-50,000 tonnes of grain free of charge with free delivery," Putin added.
Putin added that Russia can replace Ukrainian grain shipments to Africa and that Moscow is ready to start sending free grain to six countries "in the coming months".
The initial Russia-Africa summit and conference was held in the Russian city of Sochi in 2019, with participants from all 54 African countries as well as eight prominent African institutions and organizations.
The summit's joint declaration established the aims and targets for further growth of cooperation in all areas. It was also agreed upon to hold the summit once every three years with an innovative dialogue process.
