Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a conference after meeting his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukri and President Abdelfatá al-Sisi during his visit to Egypt. /
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov begins his tour of the continent in order to reassure potential partners about the future of grain exports
The forceful response of the West against Russia for the invasion of Ukraine has cornered the president, Vladimir Putin, who has gradually seen his support reduced. He still has his big asset, China, but the head of the Kremlin does not want to close his circle there. His current objective at the political level is Africa, where Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov landed this Sunday, beginning his tour of the continent in Egypt in order to reassure his potential allies about the future of grain exports. , in check after the Russian attack on the port of Odessa less than twenty-four hours after signing the agreement in Istanbul to unblock grain traffic.
“We have confirmed the commitment of Russian exporters of cereal products to respect all their obligations,” said the foreign minister 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 show that Moscow is breaking with the image of international isolation to which it has been forced as a result of the war. His “tour of African states begins with his visit to this friendly country while American diplomacy runs from house to house in various countries begging, hold your laugh, not to take photos with Lavrov to prevent Russia from using them as proof that they do not it is isolated,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zajarova.
Africa, which has been caught between Russia and the West since the invasion began, is key in Kremlin politics right now. Despite the war, in this region Putin has support that has not been added to the sanctions against him. In fact, the president of the African Union and head of state of Senegal, Macky Sall, stated a month ago that his continent is a “victim” of the war due to the food crisis that it has unleashed and advocated the lifting of the sanctions that affect to Russian grain and fertilizer exports. With this search for allies, Moscow follows the example of its great partner, the Asian giant, which has large companies and mining operations on the African continent.
More than 40% of the wheat
Many nations are severely affected by the grain shortage caused by the invasion. Ukraine and Russia usually supply more than 40% of the wheat to this continent. And Egypt takes the cake. According to the African Development Bank, in 2019 alone it imported 3.62 million tons, more than any other country. The agreement signed on Friday in Istanbul would allow the exit of between 20 and 25 million tons of grain blocked in Ukraine, as well as facilitate Russian agricultural exports.
As a result, Lavrov, who will continue his brief tour of Uganda, Ethiopia and the Republic of Congo in the coming days, asked the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, for the partial lifting of sanctions to facilitate exports. Guterres “volunteered himself to obtain the suspension of these illegitimate restrictions and we hope that he will achieve it,” said the Russian foreign minister.
It should be noted that, although the sanctions do not affect Russian food trafficking – the Istanbul pact includes a provision to lift warnings against fertilizer trafficking – there are, in Lavrov’s opinion, commercial impediments that make it difficult for them to participate in the agreement. For this reason, he asked to deactivate “illegitimate sanctions, which include insurers, access to foreign ports of ships and foreign ships to Russian ports,” reports the Interfax agency.
In this way, as the newspaper ‘The New York Times’ points out, Putin presents himself as the leader of a global movement that rises up against the domination of the United States and its allies. That is the message that Lavrov is sending these days in Africa, hoping to turn the food crisis to his own advantage. A movement that the American giant analyzes with a keen eye. In fact, Washington’s special envoy for the Horn of Africa, Mike Hammer, has also visited the region this Sunday. Until next 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 endangering the interests of the White House, according to ‘The Washington Post’. They are concerned about, among other issues, Moscow’s recent success in rallying support among African leaders against Western sanctions. “It pains me to see African leaders accept misinformation about what is causing this epidemic in Africa,” Senator Tim Kaine said.
The US and the UK warn that “Putin cannot be trusted”
After Russian troops bombed the port of Odessa, from where the cereals will leave, less than twenty-four hours after agreeing to unblock imports, the international community casts doubt on the promises of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The first statements came from the British government, one of Ukraine’s main partners. Foreign Minister Liz Truss declared that “this shows that none of the words” of the Kremlin chief can be trusted.
“We urgently need to work with our international partners to find a better way to get grain out of Ukraine that does not implicate Russia and its broken promises,” the British chancellor added.
Similarly, the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, warned that the attack “casts doubt on the credibility of Russia”, by breaching the commitment signed only a day before.
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