Pavel Bednyakov/Sputnik/Pool via Reuters
As Russia’s defense minister marveled at banned ballistic missiles alongside North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang, the Kremlin on Thursday ramped up efforts to court allies with a summit appealing to African leaders.
With just 17 heads of state from 54 African nations in attendance, Vladimir Putin announced at the “Russia-Africa” summit in St. Petersburg that Moscow would provide up to 50,000 tons of grain to six African countries for free—to replace the Ukrainian grain exports whose delivery Moscow blocked by pulling out of a grain deal.
“We are expecting a record harvest this year. In the coming months, we will be ready to supply Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, the Central African Republic, and Eritrea with 25,000-50,000 tons of grain free of charge. We will also provide free shipping for this product,” Putin said.