President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has announced that he will be providing free grain to at least six African countries in the next four months. This move comes after the Kremlin’s decision to not extend a deal that protected Ukrainian grain exports, which had been crucial in feeding millions of people worldwide. Putin made this announcement during a summit for African countries in St. Petersburg, where he addressed the issue of disruptions in the global food supply.
In his keynote speech, Putin blamed Western hypocrisy rather than Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for these disruptions. He claimed that the West had failed to fulfill its end of the grain deal and had not taken any steps to facilitate Russian food and fertilizer exports. He accused those who labeled Russia as an unreliable food supplier of spreading lies, a practice he claimed had been carried out by some Western states for decades.
Russia’s withdrawal from the grain deal had sparked international criticism and put Putin on the defensive. The summit in St. Petersburg was seen as an attempt to reassure African leaders of Russia’s friendship and support. Putin announced that Russia would be delivering 25,000 to 50,000 tons of free grain to Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Eritrea, Mali, Somalia, and Zimbabwe in the next three to four months. He also promised free delivery of the products to the consumers.
However, there seemed to be a geopolitical motive behind the selection of these countries as recipients of Russian grain. Among the six, only Somalia had voted against Russia at the United Nations in February, supporting a resolution calling for an end to the war in Ukraine. Additionally, Russia’s Wagner mercenary group has supported authoritarian governments in Mali and the Central African Republic.
The Kremlin also aimed to portray Russia as a spiritual ally of Africa, emphasizing conservative values in contrast to the perceived godlessness of the West. The summit was not only an economic forum but also a “humanitarian” one, with Putin using conservative rhetoric to gain international support. Patriarch Kirill I, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, took the opportunity to criticize the West for promoting “anti-values” such as gay rights.
The summit and Putin’s grain pledge were reported on The New York Times on 2023-07-27.
2023-07-27 08:20:22
Source from www.nytimes.com