Russia's President, African Union Head to Meet Tomorrow to Discuss Food Crisis

Russian President Vladimir Putin will host the head of the African Union for talks focused on grain supplies and political cooperation amid Kremlin’s standoff with the West over Ukraine.

Washington and Brussels have imposed unprecedented sanctions against Moscow over the invasion of Ukraine, pushing Putin to seek new markets and strengthen ties with countries in Africa and Asia.

Cereal prices in Africa, the world’s poorest continent, have surged because of the slump in exports from Ukraine, sharpening the impact of conflict and climate change and sparking fears of social unrest.

On Friday, Putin will receive Senegalese President Macky Sall, who chairs the African Union, at his Black Sea residence in Sochi.

The visit is aimed at “freeing up stocks of cereals and fertilisers, the blockage of which particularly affects African countries”, along with easing the Ukraine conflict, Sall’s office said on Thursday.

Sall will be accompanied by the president of the African Union Commission.

The Kremlin said talks would address “issues of Russia’s interaction with the African Union, including the expansion of political dialogue and economic and humanitarian cooperation.”

“The current international agenda” will also be discussed, it added.

Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine and a barrage of international sanctions on Russia have disrupted supplies of fertiliser, wheat and other commodities from both countries, pushing up prices for food and fuel, especially in developing nations.