Putin courts allies with free grain and weapons pledge at Africa Summit

Russian President said will provide grain aid to six African countries over the next few months for free

Russian President Vladimir Putin poses with African leaders at the forum in St Petersburg on Friday. EPA

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday told African leaders that "unipolarity" of today's world no longer works, calling for multipolarity - different centres of power - across the globe.

Since the end of the Soviet Union, geopolitical analysts have talked about a "unipolar" world dominated by US economic and military power. This status quo has shifted with the rise of China, which has built a growing coalition of allies, creating multiple "poles" of power including the US, China, Europe, Latin America and South Asia.

Mr Putin was referring to the rising power of Brazil, India and China, which together with Russia and South Africa, the so-called Brics group, comprise about 30 per cent of global GDP.

Brics countries claim to challenge western economic and military hegemony through a multipolar alliance.

Mr Putin said remnants of colonial influence remained prevalent on the African continent.

His press secretary referred to "blatant, brazen interference by the United States, France and other states through their diplomatic missions in African countries and their attempts to put pressure on the leadership of these countries in order to prevent their active participation in the forum".

Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi at the summit in St Petersburg. EPA

Speaking during the opening of a two-day Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg, with 17 heads of African states in attendance, Mr Putin referred to the long-historically longstanding ties between Russia and Africa.

"We have provided steady support over the decades for African countries in the face of the ongoing presence of colonialist powers," he said.

He went on to list numerous influential African and Arab leaders and figures, whom he said had led the fight for independence from "the West."

He said it was up to Russia and Africa to call for a fairer global order.

On day two of the conference, Mr Putin said Russia was prepared to supply some weapons to Africa for nothing, to enhance security on the continent and to work more closely with African law enforcement and intelligence services.

He said Russia was increasing agricultural exports and would remain a reliable supplier of food, including free grain, to Africa. Moscow has also written off $23 billion of debt, he said, without saying over what time period or naming the countries involved.

Mr Putin said Moscow respected African leaders' peace proposal on Ukraine and was carefully studying it.

African leaders presented their peace initiative last month to Mr Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy but it has failed to gain traction with either side.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative was expected to top the agenda, after Russia terminated the deal last week in protest at western sanctions.

Workers load grain at a grain port in Izmail, Ukraine, on April 26, 2023. AP

The agreement, which began last July five months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, allowed about 33 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain to be safely exported through the Black Sea during the conflict, from three ports still under the control of Kyiv.

Free grain supply to Africa

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi praised Mr Putin's commitment to grain exports during his address on the second say of the summit.

But despite Mr Putin offering to send free grain to the continent, the UN warned it would not make up for Moscow pulling out of the crucial deal.

Mr Putin said Russia was expecting record harvests this year and vowed his country would honour its role in ensuring global food security.

In his welcome address, Mr Putin told African leaders Russia would give “25,000 to 50,000 tonnes of grain aid to Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, Eritrea and the Central African Republic in the next three to four months, and will ensure free delivery service”.

In the year before the conflict, many of these countries imported significant amounts of Ukrainian grain, including Somalia, which relied on Ukraine for 80 per cent of its grain needs – about 100,000 tonnes of imports.

Mr Putin added that Russia was interested in developing military co-operation with the continent.

Who is attending?

Seventeen African leaders attended the Russia-Africa summit, less than half the number who attended the previous forum in 2019.

African diplomats from Ethiopia, South Sudan, Mali and South Africa arrived in St Petersburg, along with Presidents of the Central African Republic and Uganda, and leaders from Libya, Nigeria, Congo, Cameroon and Burkina Faso.

Zambia, Angola, Benin, Sudan and Algeria also attended.

On the sidelines of the summit Mr Putin on Wednesday met Mr El Sisi, hailing their growing bilateral trade that accounts for about one third of Russia’s trade with Africa.

Mr El Sisi lauded the “special character of relations” between the two countries, referring to Russia building Egypt’s first nuclear power plant.

“I’m sure that the Russia-Africa summit will achieve significant results, " Mr El Sisi said.

Mr Putin also held one-on-one talks with Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, and said Russia would more than triple the number of Ethiopian students it hosts and cover their education costs.

Africa’s 54 nations make up the largest voting bloc at the UN and have been more divided than any other region on General Assembly resolutions criticising Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

The participants plan to adopt a final declaration at the summit and other documents on the main areas of Russia-Africa co-operation.