Moscow: Following his withdrawal from the grain export agreement with Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday offered free grain to six African nations as he convened a summit with the continent's leaders.

Putin's support in Africa, where he continues to enjoy support despite the international isolation brought on by his military intervention in Ukraine last year, will be tested during the two-day summit taking place in Putin's native Saint Petersburg.

Last week, Russia declined to renew an agreement that allowed Ukrainian grain exports to travel through the Black Sea to reach markets worldwide, including Africa, relieving pressure on food prices.

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During the summit's keynote speech, Putin claimed that Russia could "substitute Ukrainian grain" and made a commitment to deliver grain to six African nations.

The free delivery of 25,000 to 50,000 tonnes of grain to Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, Central African Republic, and Eritrea will be possible in the upcoming months, according to Putin.

Over the course of a year, the grain agreement permitted roughly 33 million tonnes of grain to leave Ukrainian ports, assisting in stabilising food prices worldwide and preventing shortages.
Attacks on the southern Odesa region, which is home to Ukraine's ports and where the Russian army claimed it hit military infrastructure, have increased since the agreement was suspended.

According to Nataliya Gumenyuk, a spokeswoman for the Ukrainian army, Russia imposed a blockade on "virtually all" of its ports "to close Ukraine as a country that can feed the world."

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Gumenyuk warned that Ukraine "may not have ports anymore" in two or three months and that it needed Western air defence immediately to protect grain facilities from attacks.

African summit attendees were pushed by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to demand information about the disruptions to the grain supply that have driven poorer countries into crisis.

The leaders, according to Blinken, "know exactly who's to blame for this current situation."

During a visit to New Zealand on Thursday, he said, "My expectation would be that Russia will hear this clearly from our African partners."

At the Russia-Africa summit, which is taking place until Friday, seventeen African leaders, including the president of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, were anticipated.

The second such summit has drawn criticism from the Kremlin for allegedly attempting to bar African states from attending. Putin will discuss Ukraine with a group of African heads of state during a working lunch on Friday, according to the Kremlin.

The Kremlin spokesman stated that the situation in Niger, where President Mohamed Bazoum has been detained by soldiers after a coup attempt, is "actively" discussed outside of the summit.

According to a statement from Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman for the foreign ministry of Russia, the "rapid release of President Bazoum by the military" is demanded.
Putin praised their joint energy projects during his conversation on Wednesday with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
Along with holding bilateral talks with Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Putin also presided over a working breakfast with the leaders of regional African organisations.

Putin gave Mnangagwa a helicopter and good luck in the forthcoming elections, which analysts predict will be contentious.
Putin claimed that "fighting has intensified significantly" in the southern Zaporizhzhia region outside of the summit.

Moscow has worked to fortify ties with Africa since beginning its offensive in Ukraine by highlighting Russia's opposition to Western "imperialism."
According to Vsevolod Sviridov of the Centre for African Studies at HSE University, "the framework in which Russia and Africa interact has seriously changed" as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine.

Finding common ground and outlining one another's positions on current events, like the grain deal, are essential, he told AFP.

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The Wagner mercenary group from Russia has been a significant player in the security sphere in Africa, but its last month aborted coup against the military leadership of Russia has raised questions about the group's ability to continue operating there.

The Saint Petersburg summit takes place one month before the Johannesburg summit of the leaders of the BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa).

According to South Africa, Putin, who is wanted internationally for his alleged involvement in the events in Ukraine, won't be present in person