Ukrainian grain exports to Africa have been affected by the war in that country.
The poor turnout for the second Russia-Africa Summit late last month signalled the dissatisfaction regarding Vladimir Putin’s attitude towards the continent and his protracted war in Ukraine.
Speaking in an interview on Salaamedia on Monday, retired American diplomat Brooks Spector accused Moscow of using “food commodities as a tool”.
He said this was likely one of the reasons why a mere 17 African heads of state attended the Second Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow in late July, compared to 43 in the 2019 summit.
“There was a certain amount of dissatisfaction with the way the Russians were conducting their relationship with the continent, their continuing war against Ukraine, and the rather hard-edged, ham-fisted way they were using the power of food commodities as a tool, as a weapon,” he explained.
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Grudge about grain
Russia’s withdrawal from a Black Sea grain deal last month frustrated African leaders whose nations relied heavily on grain imports from Ukraine. The latter, currently at war with Russia, was the fourth largest grain exporter prior to the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022.
Said Spector, “There were a large number of countries, especially in the Middle East [and] Africa that had become particularly dependent on shipments from Ukraine. The grain market is a global market, but countries, firms and individuals sign contracts with particular suppliers”.
Spector also noted Putin’s promise to quadruple trade between Moscow and its African peers, made at the first summit in Sochi, had not been realised.
“The numbers that I see seem to indicate that Africa-Russia trade has actually declined slightly over totals from that period. There are going to be some harsh conversations in the Russian foreign ministry over how this all played out.”
