17 African heads of state arrived in Russia on Wednesday for a two-day summit. The Kremlin accused the West of pressuring other African leaders to not attend the summit, where it claims leaders will discuss political and humanitarian partnerships.
Putin also held one-on-one meetings with Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi on Wednesday. Putin pledged to triple the number of Russian-hosted Ethiopian students admitted for free education. The U.S. and World Food Program suspended food aid to Ethiopia this year after discovering widespread theft, and hunger and violence continue to rise in the country’s Tigray region. Egypt is Russia’s largest African trade partner, and El-Sissi conveyed his appreciation for Russian cooperation in constructing Egypt’s first nuclear power station. After Russia withdrew from the Black Sea grain deal and launched missiles at Ukrainian agricultural infrastructure earlier this month, the country offered free grain to low-income African nations.
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https://apnews.com/article/russia-africa-putin-ukraine-grain-food-be35ba24397aaac84d36764a5ce7db95
