Russian President Vladimir Putin assured that the Russian Federation is able to replace the Ukrainian grain both on commercial and freely.
This was stated by Putin in the article “Russia and Africa: combining efforts for peace, progress and a successful future”, dedicated to the second summit and the economic forum of Russia-Africa, which will be held on July 27-28 in St. Petersburg.
According to Putin, more than 70 percent of the cargo exported from Ukraine entered countries with high and higher average income, including the European Union, while such countries as Ethiopia, Sudan and Somalia, as well as Yemen and Afghanistan, accounted for less than 3 percent.
The head of state also said that Russia this year is waiting for a record harvest and is ready to replace the Ukrainian grain for free or on a commercial basis. “I want to assure that our country is able to replace the Ukrainian grain both on commercial and free, moreover, this year a record crop is expected again this year,” he wrote.
The Russian leader recalled that in 2022 the Russian Federation exported 11.5 million tons of grain to Africa, and in the first six months of the current year – almost 10 million tons.
25 African countries annually provide more than a third of their import of wheat from Russia and Ukraine.
African countries, which have survived difficult times due to growth in food prices since the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war, made the initiative to reconcile the two countries.
The head of the commission of the African Union Musa Faki Muhammad called on the strings to resume agreements on the Black Sea Grain initiative.
July 22, 2022 in Istanbul in the presence of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and UN Secretary General Antoniu Guterrish, an agreement was signed on the safe transportation of grain from the ports of Ukraine.
Signatures under the document were made by representatives of Ukraine, Russia, the UN and Turkey.
The agreement that is realized during Turkey coordination is aimed at resolving the global food crisis.
Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov on Monday said that Moscow will immediately return to the implementation of Black Sea agreements as soon as the Russian part of the grain transaction will be completed