Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov begins his journey across the continent to reassure potential partners about the future of grain exports
The West’s strong response to Russia for the invasion of Ukraine has cornered the president, Vladimir Putin, who has seen his support gradually dwindle. It still has its great asset, China, but the Kremlin head does not want to close its circle there. His current target at the political level is Africa, where Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov landed this Sunday and began his tour of the continent in Egypt to reassure his potential allies about the future of grain exports. Port of Odessa less than twenty-four hours after signing the Istanbul grain unblocking agreement.
“We have confirmed the commitment of Russian exporters of grain products to fulfill all their obligations,” the foreign minister said after speaking with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukri and the country’s president, Abdelfatá al-Sisi. The visit to Cairo is also part of a campaign to demonstrate that Moscow is breaking with the image of international isolation it has been forced into as a result of the war. His “tour of African states begins with his visit to this friendly country as American diplomacy in various countries runs from house to house and begs, hold back your laugh, not to take pictures with Lavrov to prevent Russia from using them as evidence that they are not doing it is isolated,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zajarova.
Africa, trapped between Russia and the West since the beginning of the invasion, is currently key in Kremlin politics. Despite the war, Putin has support in this region that has not been added to the sanctions against him. The President of the African Union and the head of state of Senegal, Macky Sall, even declared a month ago that his continent is a “victim” of the war because of the food crisis it has unleashed and called for the lifting of sanctions affecting Russian grain and fertilizer exports. With this quest for allies, Moscow is following the lead of its major partner, the Asian giant, which has large companies and mining operations on the African continent.
Many countries are badly affected by the grain shortage caused by the invasion. Ukraine and Russia typically supply more than 40% of the wheat to this continent. And Egypt takes the cake. According to the African Development Bank, it imported 3.62 million tons in 2019 alone, more than any other country. The agreement signed in Istanbul on Friday would allow the export of between 20 and 25 million tons of grain blocked in Ukraine and facilitate Russian agricultural exports.
As a result, Lavrov, who will continue his short tour of Uganda, Ethiopia and the Republic of Congo in the coming days, asked UN Secretary-General António Guterres for partial lifting of sanctions to facilitate exports. Guterres “has volunteered to obtain the suspension of these illegal restrictions and we hope he will achieve this,” Russia’s foreign minister said.
It should be noted that while the sanctions will not affect Russia’s food trade – the Istanbul Pact includes a provision to lift warnings against the fertilizer trade – there are commercial barriers, according to Lavrov, that make it difficult for them to participate. to the agreement. For this reason, he asked for “unlawful sanctions, including insurers, access to foreign ports of ships and foreign ships to Russian ports” to be deactivated, the Interfax agency reports.
In this way, as the New York Times newspaper points out, Putin presents himself as the leader of a global movement revolting against the domination of the United States and its allies. That is the message that Lavrov is sending out in Africa today, hoping to turn the food crisis to his own advantage. A move that the American giant analyzes with a keen eye. Washington’s special envoy to the Horn of Africa, Mike Hammer, also visited the region this Sunday. Until August 1, he will visit Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Ethiopia.
US senators warned on Thursday that Russia’s growing influence on the African continent is jeopardizing the interests of the White House, according to The Washington Post. They are concerned, among other things, about Moscow’s recent success in rallying support among African leaders against Western sanctions. “It pains me to see African leaders accepting misinformation about the cause of this epidemic in Africa,” Senator Tim Kaine said.
After Russian troops bomb the port of Odessa, where the grains will depart, less than twenty-four hours after agreeing to unblock imports, the international community is questioning Russian President Vladimir Putin’s promises. The first statements came from the British government, one of Ukraine’s main partners. Foreign Minister Liz Truss said “this shows that none of the words” of the Kremlin head can be trusted.
“We urgently need to work with our international partners to find a better way to get grain from Ukraine without involving Russia and its broken promises,” the British chancellor added.
Likewise, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that the attack “casts into doubt Russia’s credibility”, by violating the commitment signed a day earlier.
Source: La Verdad
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