Zimbabwe President Politely Turn Down Russian Grain Offer, Says His Country is Food Secure
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa stated that his country is currently food-secure but expressed gratitude for an offer of free grain from his longtime Russian counterpart.
Chief Charumbira (far right), stands with Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangangwa (middle), and Vice Presidents
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced at a summit in St. Petersburg that he will gift tens of thousands of tons of grain to several African countries within the next 3-4 months. Despite facing Western sanctions that have impacted Moscow’s ability to export grain and fertilizers, Putin said Russia is prepared to provide Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, Central African Republic, and Eritrea with 25-50,000 tons of free grain each.
However, Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa stated that his country is currently food-secure but expressed gratitude for an offer of free grain from his longtime counterpart and comrade.
President Putin has also assured free delivery of these products to consumers. He emphasized Russia’s critical role in global food security and expressed readiness to replace Ukrainian grain exports to Africa on both commercial and aid bases.
President Putin today also gifted Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa with a presidential helicopter, according to Zimbabwe’s information ministry.
The ongoing summit aims to strengthen Russian-African ties and expand influence and business on the continent. However, the number of African leaders attending the summit was reportedly lower than in the previous event in 2019, with the Kremlin attributing the decline to efforts by certain Western countries to dissuade attendance.
