Putin's Russia-Africa Summit Struggles Amid Diplomatic Isolation

The highly anticipated Russia-Africa summit, a biennial meeting bringing together Russian President Vladimir Putin and African leaders began in St. Petersburg on Thursday. However, this year's summit had a noticeably low attendance. Only 17 heads of African states were present at the event, compared to 43 during the 2019 conference.

The Kremlin expressed its dissatisfaction over the poor turnout and pointed fingers at the United States and its Western allies. According to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, they were accused of applying "unprecedented pressure" on African countries to disrupt the summit.

Black Sea Grain Deal

A notable absence was that of Kenyan President William Ruto, whose government expressed its disappointment over Russia's recent decision to withdraw from the Black Sea grain deal.

The Kenyan government described the move as a "stab in the back of global food security prices," underlining the crucial role grain exports play in stabilizing food supplies for many African nations. This withdrawal has sparked fears over food security, particularly in regions heavily reliant on grain exports from both Russia and Ukraine.

Moreover, some African politicians went beyond skipping the summit and voiced their serious concerns about Russia's war in Ukraine. Raila Odinga, the Kenyan opposition leader, made a passionate statement, saying, "I don't think that this moment in time is a good time for summits in Russia. Because Russia is involved in a war, a conflict.

“Africa needs to take a very firm stance on this issue. It's a question of right and wrong. Therefore, my view is that we cannot be neutral in the place of aggression. You must take a stand one way or another,” he added.

President Putin sought to sway their opinions during the summit. Russia has, over the years, pursued Africa as a means to broaden its global influence, and the 2019 summit saw Putin announce arms deals worth billions of dollars for the continent, along with a plan to double trade volume with African nations.

This year, Putin took the opportunity to reiterate his commitment to African partners. “Russia is still a reliable supplier of food to Africa,” Putin said, adding he would send grain free of charge to six African nations in the next few months.

He repeated his complaints about the grain deal, saying promises to Russia had not been met, and called the West “hypocritical”, arguing it was blaming Russia for food insecurity but at the same time hampering exports through sanctions.

The topic of the grain deal was central to discussions at the summit. Putin expressed dissatisfaction with the perceived failure to fulfill promises made during the agreement, while simultaneously pointing fingers at the West, accusing them of hypocrisy for blaming Russia for food insecurity while simultaneously hampering exports through sanctions.

However, African governments remained frustrated over Russia's withdrawal from the grain deal, which had facilitated the passage of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea and provided relief to many African countries struggling with food shortages and high prices.

Ulterior Motives

Experts suggest that Russia's decision to suspend the grain deal was part of a larger strategy to regain access to the SWIFT banking system. Russia sought to use the issue as leverage in negotiations, falsely arguing that Russian grain, wheat, and fertilizer were under sanctions.

However, access to SWIFT has not materialized, and to appease countries grappling with food shortages, Russia attempted to offer packages of free grains and fertilizers.

While Russia's actions in Ukraine have garnered condemnation from the international community, the situation has created complexities for African nations. Many African leaders are cautious about taking sides in the conflict to avoid jeopardizing relationships with either the West or Russia.

At the same time, Russia has continued to bomb grain storage facilities in Ukraine. Over 60,000 tons of grain were destroyed in the most recent Russian attack on Odessa last week.

“It’s just highly ironic but highly symbolic that on the eve of this Africa-Russia summit that Russia is bombing this port that is going to cause further food shortages and food crises in these countries,” says Joseph Siegle, director of research at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, an academic institution within the U.S. Department of Defense.

This delicate balance has also impacted African nations' stances on the summit, contributing to the reduced attendance compared to the 2019 event.

Security issues also loomed large during the summit. Russia's Wagner Group has been heavily involved in several African countries, including the Central African Republic, Libya, and Mali. Autocratic governments in Africa have employed Wagner forces to maintain military power.

Key Allies

Approximately 50,000 tons of wheat from Russia arrived at the port of Conakry in Guinea about a month ago, destined for Mali, according to Alfousseyni Sidibé, a spokesperson for Mali's foreign affairs ministry.

The wheat shipments are particularly crucial for Mali, which is grappling with a jihadist militant insurgency and facing challenges posed by erratic weather patterns. The country's military government has chosen to sever ties with its former western allies, drawing closer to Russia instead.

Notably, France withdrew thousands of troops from Mali last year, and a United Nations mission is set to leave by January, at the government's insistence. This void will leave more than 1,000 fighters from Russia's Wagner mercenary operation to assist the Malian army in combatting the militant threat, according to the International Crisis Group.

Mali's increasing alignment with Russia was evident earlier this year when it sided with Russia in voting against a UN resolution requiring it to leave Ukrainian territory. Over the past few years, Mali has annually imported around 300,000 tons of wheat, with a significant portion coming from France (40%), Russia (32%), and Ukraine (7%).

Backed Into A Corner

Africa does have a vast agricultural capacity, but much of the food the continent produces is meant for export, and not internal consumption.

A major part of African farmlands is used to grow crops such as coffee, cocoa, and cottonseed oil for export, while the staple crops of the African diet, wheat, and rice, mainly come from outside of the continent.

"Indigenous crops could offer much healthier alternatives to the cereals currently in use," Pauline Chivenge, a researcher at the African Plant Nutrition Institute in Morocco, told DW. "They have benefits that go beyond sustaining food security. They are more nutritious, so in addition to the necessary callories, they contain higher amounts of protein and vitamins."

Yet indigenous crops have been neglected for decades, largely due to states and international companies pushing for the mass production of maize and wheat and promoting them as staples. "Research and development and mechanization have focused on maize, rice, and wheat, and producing them in large, mono-crop fields at the expense of the region’s biodiversity," Chivenge said.

"But the fact is that grains like maize and wheat are not really suitable for growing in most regions of Africa, where water is in short supply," she added. "They are very much dependent on regular rainfall, which is becoming a real challenge in the wake of climate change."