A few days after Moscow broke the grain deal, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia was ready to replace Ukrainian grain supplies.
“I want to ensure that our country is able to replace Ukrainian grain commercially and free of charge, especially as we expect another bountiful harvest this year,” Putin said.
This is what the President of Russia wrote in an article published on the Kremlin website on Monday night for the African media on the occasion of the upcoming Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, starting on Thursday.
“Energy” work on deliveries
Despite sanctions imposed by the West, Russia will continue to work “vigorously” to supply African countries with grain, food, fertilizer and more, he said. In 2022, Russia exported 11.5 million tons of grain to Africa, almost 10 million tons in the first six months of this year.
“And this despite sanctions imposed on our exports, which actually make it significantly more difficult to export Russian food to developing countries,” Putin continued.
Russia, which has been waging a war of aggression against the neighboring country since February 2022, allowed the international grain deal to expire a week ago, despite many international appeals.
The United Nations has repeatedly campaigned for the deal to be reinstated, and China has also urged both sides to quickly resume exports. It is feared that hunger in the poorest countries will become even greater.