Putin tells African leaders Russia is open to “constructive dialogue” about conflict in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow is “open to a constructive dialogue” and praised African countries’ diplomatic approach to the war in Ukraine during a meeting he held with several leaders from the continent in St. Petersburg on Saturday.

He maintained that “Russia is ready to consider any African proposals for conflict settlement in Ukraine,” but blamed Kyiv for refusing to negotiate.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday after meeting with the African leaders that any peace talks with Russia are possible only after the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from occupied territories.

The Black Sea grain deal: Putin also claimed “the crisis on the global food market is not a consequence of conflict in Ukraine.”

“Ukrainian grain supply to the world’s markets doesn’t solve the problem of world hunger,” he said.

After invading Ukraine in February 2022, Russia initially blockaded vital grain exports from key Ukrainian Black Sea ports, including Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi, which meant that millions of tons of Ukrainian grain were not exported to the many countries that rely on the country’s production. Last summer, Turkey and the United Nations helped broker an agreement to enable the safe passage of ships from Ukraine in the Black Sea grain deal.

“Exports of Ukrainian grain under the deal ensuring its safe passage through the Black Sea are not helping to resolve Africa’s problems with high global food prices, as only 3% have gone to the poorest countries,” Putin said.

Data from the United Nations shows that about 802,000 metric tons of cargo has gone to low-income countries, and three of those five countries are located in Africa. Other African countries receiving cargo are classified as lower-middle income.