ST. PETERSBURG (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th July, 2023) African countries are grateful for Russia's offer of free grain supplies, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said at the Russia-Africa summit.
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting with the leaders of African countries in St. Petersburg on Friday. The talks were dedicated to the conflict in Ukraine.
Ramaphosa said on Friday night that the main goal of African delegations was not to come to St. Petersburg to ask for free grain supplies from Russia, but African countries were nonetheless grateful for Russia's offer to those in need.
Putin said earlier on Friday at the Russia-Africa summit that Russia was going to supply grain to African countries on a commercial basis as well as free of charge.
On July 18, the Black Sea Grain Initiative, commonly known as the grain deal, which provided for a humanitarian corridor to allow exports of Ukrainian grain over the past year expired, as Russia did not renew its participation in the deal. Moscow emphasized that the deal's component on facilitating Russian grain and fertilizer exports had not been fulfilled.
The second Russia-Africa Summit and Economic and Humanitarian Forum is taking place in the Russian city of St. Petersburg from July 27-28. Sputnik is an official media partner of the forum.
