African Leaders Gather in Russia for Summit Amid Ukraine Conflict

In a bid to strengthen ties with Africa, the President of Russia Vladimir Putin has welcomed African leaders to St. Petersburg for a two-day summit.

The event, which begun yesterday, is the second Russia-Africa summit since 2019, aiming to foster alliances with a continent that holds 1.3 billion people and an increasing assertiveness on the global stage.

The summit comes at a crucial time as the Russian government seeks more allies amidst the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

President Putin expressed his enthusiasm for the gathering, saying, “Today, Africa is asserting itself more and more confidently as one of the poles of the emerging multipolar world.”

During the summit, President Putin held important one-on-one talks with Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

In a significant move, Russia has pledged to significantly increase the number of Ethiopian students it hosts and cover their education costs.

This comes at a time when Ethiopia’s government has been under pressure from the U.S. and the World Food Program due to the suspension of food aid following the discovery of massive theft of aid. Hunger is also on the rise in regions like Tigray, recovering from two years of conflict.

As the largest voting bloc at the United Nations, Africa’s 54 nations have been divided over General Assembly resolutions criticizing Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

This division has, in part, led to a decrease in the number of heads of state attending the summit, dropping from 43 in 2019 to 17 now. The Kremlin (Russian government) attributes this decline to what it calls “crude Western pressure” aimed at discouraging African nations from participating.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov decried the alleged interference from Western states, saying, “It’s absolutely outrageous, but it will in no way prevent the success of the summit.”

While only 17 heads of state are attending, 32 other African countries will be represented by senior government officials or ambassadors, according to Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov.

One of the key issues likely to be on the summit’s agenda is the fate of Russia’s Wagner military company, led by Yevgeny Prigozhin.

The mercenary group staged a brief rebellion against the Kremlin last month, raising questions about its future contracts with countries like Sudan and Mali, who rely on its military support in exchange for natural resources such as gold. Russian officials and Prigozhin have stated that the company will continue its operations in Africa.

The summit also follows Russia’s withdrawal from a deal that allowed Black Sea grain exports, a vital resource for many African countries.

In response to the termination of the Black Sea deal, Russia has launched missile attacks on Ukrainian ports and agriculture facilities.

However, President Putin has assured African leaders that Russia is fully capable of replacing the Ukrainian grain, offering it both commercially and free of charge to low-income African countries.

Read also: NATO Summit Kicks Off Today: Challenges, Membership, and Controversies

In addition to economic matters, African leaders have been pursuing a peace proposal for Ukraine, which they hope to discuss with President Putin during the summit.

The South African presidency released a statement saying, “The summit background will also offer an opportunity to African heads of state who are part of the African Leaders Peace Mission to continue talks with President Putin on the confidence-building measures that will create conducive conditions for a path to peace between Russia and Ukraine.”

Read also: Putin will not Attend the BRICS Summit Amid Arrest Threats

The outcome of this summit may have far-reaching implications for Africa’s place in the multipolar world and Russia’s standing on the global stage. As the leaders gather in St. Petersburg, the world watches closely to see how this crucial meeting will unfold and what agreements may be reached.

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