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Putin aims to bolster Africa ties despite Ukraine conflict
Russia hosts African leaders this week for a summit aimed at boosting ties despite concerns in Africa over the conflict in Ukraine and the suspension of a deal on Ukrainian grain exports.
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ussia hosts African leaders this week for a summit aimed at boosting ties despite concerns in Africa over the conflict in Ukraine and the suspension of a deal on Ukrainian grain exports.
Isolated on the international scene since launching Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin still has support in several African countries.
“Today the partnership is constructive, confident and turned towards the future,” Putin wrote on the Kremlin website.
At the summit in Saint Petersburg, Putin’s native city, several African leaders are expected, including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The summit is the second of its kind after an inaugural one that was held in 2019 in Sochi in southern Russia.
The end of a deal that allowed Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea to global markets, including Africa, is set to dominate the agenda.
Russia pulled out of the deal earlier this month, saying a promise to allow Russian exports had not been honored.
Over a year, the deal allowed around 33 million tonnes of grain to leave Ukrainian ports, helping to stabilize global food prices and avert shortages.
In the last few days, Moscow has sought to reassure African partners, saying it understands their “concern” on the issue. The Kremlin has said that “without any doubt” it is ready to export grain for free to African countries that need it.
Putin has said Moscow could return to the agreement, but only if the part of the deal allowing Russian grain and fertilizer is fully implemented.
Anti Western ‘imperialism’
Since the start of the Ukraine offensive, Russia has sought to strengthen diplomatic and security ties with Africa.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has been on two tours of the continent so far this year, trying to win over leaders to Moscow’s side by emphasizing Russia’s support against Western “imperialism”.
Experts say the push for more Russian influence in Africa is seen mainly in a series of security contracts and through assistance on social media campaigns.
Russia’s Wagner mercenary group has been a major player in the security sphere in Africa, but its failed mutiny against Russia’s military leadership last month has cast doubt on the future of the group’s operations on the continent.
French President Emmanuel Macron has accused Moscow of seeking Africa’s “destabilization”, a charge Russia quickly rejected and in turn pointed to France’s colonial past.
“Russia is developing friendly, constructive relations based on mutual respect,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier.
African leaders have for their part sought a higher profile role in the diplomacy around the conflict in Ukraine.
A delegation of African leaders visited Moscow and Kyiv last month to urge both sides to cease hostilities, but the initiative had little effect.
The summit in St. Petersburg comes a month ahead of a summit of leaders of the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), which is due to take place in Johannesburg.
South Africa has said that Putin, who is the subject of an international arrest warrant for his actions in Ukraine, will not be attending in person.
Air strikes
Russia launched new drone strikes on Kyiv and parts of central and northern Ukraine early on Tuesday, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
There were also no reports of new attacks on southern Ukraine, which had been struck almost every night since Russia pulled out of a deal allowing the safe export of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea on July 17.
Russia used Iranian-made Shahed drones to attack Kyiv for the sixth time this month but all were shot down, said Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv military administration.
Air raid alerts blared for more than 3.5 hours over the Kyiv region. Regional governor Ruslan Kravchenko said there had been no reports of damage or casualties, although falling debris set off a fire in a field.
Air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said air defenses had been engaged in three regions in the north of the country.
“About 10 drones were recorded, the information is being clarified,” he told Ukrainian television, adding that up to five were destroyed.
Regional officials said an unidentified infrastructure object was hit in the northern region of Zhytomyr, two drones came down in fields and one in an empty hangar in the central region of Cherkasy, and that one drone was shot down in each of the central Poltava and northern Sumy regions.
Separately, the governor of the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine said two people had been killed, including a 10-year-old boy, and seven wounded in Russian shelling of the town of Kostiantynivka on Monday evening.
Russia, which sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022, had spoken of taking harsh retaliatory measures against Ukraine after two drones damaged buildings in Moscow early on Monday.
