Russian President Vladimir Putin courted leaders from Africa at a summit on Friday, hailing the continent's growing role in global affairs and offering to expand political and business ties.
Addressing the two-day Russia-Africa summit, Putin said Moscow will closely analyze a peace proposal for Ukraine that African leaders have sought to pursue.
Putin in his speech reaffirmed his pledge that Russia will maintain steady supplies of grain and other agricultural products to the continent after its withdrawal from a deal allowing grain shipments from Ukraine. Moscow's withdrawal from the Black Sea agreement has fueled concerns of a global food crisis.
In comparison, the UN World Food Program shipped 725,000 tons of grain to several countries including Somalia under the Black Sea deal. The Russia-Africa summit marks a renewed Kremlin effort to bolster ties with a continent of 1.3 billion people that is increasingly assertive on the global stage. Africa's 54 nations make up the largest voting bloc at the United Nations and have been more divided than any other region on General Assembly resolutions criticizing Russia's actions in Ukraine.
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