Putin used Moscow summit to press Russia’s pitch to 48 African states
What's new: The Kremlin tied trade, grain, fertilizer and security offers to a broader push for influence as Western pressure over Ukraine mounts.
President Vladimir Putin used the third Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow to deepen Russia’s outreach to African governments, telling delegates from 48 countries that Moscow offered a better partnership than the West. The two-day summit drew 22 African leaders for talks on trade, security, arms and grain. Putin promised more grain and fertilizer supplies, joint transport and agricultural infrastructure projects, and greater African influence at the IMF and World Bank. Reuters said the gathering forms part of Russia’s wider effort to expand political, economic and military influence in Africa and blunt Western isolation over the war in Ukraine. Burkina Faso Prime Minister Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouedraogo praised cooperation with Russia during the event.