The chairman of the African Union said on July 28 that proposals by Russian President Vladimir Putin to provide grain to Africa were insufficient.
In a closing address to a Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg, Azali Assoumani also said that a cease-fire is necessary in Ukraine.
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Putin earlier told the African leaders that Russia was ready to supply Africa with grain, some of it for free, after refusing last week to extend the Black Sea Grain Initiative before it expired. The deal, brokered last year by the United Nations and Turkey, allowed Ukraine to export grain safely from Black Sea ports despite the war.
The global price of grain has soared since Russia withdrew and since it subsequently began bombing Ukrainian grain export facilities.
Russia wants to provide 25,000 to 50,000 tons of grain for free in the next three to four months, Putin told the African leaders on July 27. Zimbabwe, Mali, Burkina Faso, Somalia, Eritrea, and the Central African Republic are to receive the grain.
Assoumani said Putin had “demonstrated that he is ready help us in the field of grain supply," adding that this is important, “but it may not be quite enough. We need to achieve a cease-fire."
Putin has shown that he is “ready to engage in dialogue and find a solution," he said. "Now we need to convince the other side."
Putin told the African leaders that Kyiv was refusing to negotiate under a decree Moscow passed shortly after Putin claimed in September to have annexed four Ukrainian regions. Russia has long said it is open to talks but that they must take account of these "new realities" on the ground.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has rejected the idea of a cease-fire, saying it would leave Russia in control of about 20 percent of his country and give its forces time to regroup after 17 months of war.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhaylo Podolyak criticized what he called the Russians' "traditional negotiating whine." He said it "makes no sense" for Ukraine currently to negotiate with Russia.
"If Moscow wants to negotiate, the path is clear. 1. Get out of Ukraine. 2. Change the political elite. 3. Admit war crimes. 4. Extradite the authors of the war to the tribunal," Podolyak tweeted.
The expired Black Sea Grain Initiative previously enabled the export of 30 million tons of Ukrainian grain.
SEE ALSO: Russian Strikes On Odesa Storage Facilities Destroy Large Quantities Of Grain As Battles Rage In EastThe British Defense Ministry warned on July 28 that African countries will experience prolonged consequences due to Russia’s decision to suspend its participation in the deal.
"The impact of the war in Ukraine will almost certainly compound food insecurity in Africa for at least the next two years," the ministry said.
Putin also said Russia signed agreements during the summit for military cooperation with more than 40 African countries.
"For the purposes of bolstering the defense capability of the continent’s countries, we are developing partnership in the military and military-technical spheres," Putin said.
Representatives of 49 out of 54 independent countries on the African continent, as well as leaders of the African Union and other continental organizations, took part in the summit, the second after the inaugural in Sochi in 2019. Of the 54 African delegations invited to the summit, only 17 were led by presidents.