ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — Some African leaders arrived in Russia on Wednesday for a summit with President Vladimir Putin whereas the Kremlin, searching for allies amid the preventing in Ukraine, accused the United States and different Western powers of “outrageous” efforts to stress many different heads of states from attending.

Putin has billed the two-day summit that opens Thursday in St. Petersburg as a serious occasion that may assist bolster ties with a continent of 1.3 billion individuals that's more and more assertive on the worldwide stage.

“Today, Africa is asserting itself more and more confidently as one of the poles of the emerging multipolar world,” Putin mentioned in a press release launched by the Kremlin. “The forum will provide a further boost to our political and humanitarian partnership for many years to come. It will serve as a crucial event for Russian-African relations, making them even more comprehensive and far-reaching.”

On Wednesday, Putin held one-on-one talks with Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, and mentioned Russia will greater than triple the variety of Ethiopian college students it hosts and canopy their schooling prices.

Ethiopia’s authorities has been below stress from the U.S. and the World Food Program after they made the extraordinary choice to droop meals assist to the nation earlier this yr following the invention of large theft of assist. They search reforms that contain the federal government giving up controls over assist distribution. Meanwhile, watchdogs say starvation is rising in areas just like the Tigray area that's recovering from two years of battle.

Later within the day, Putin is about to satisfy with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.

PHOTOS: African leaders arrive in Russia for summit as Kremlin seeks allies amid preventing in Ukraine

“We remain committed to assisting our African partners in every possible way to help them strengthen their national and cultural sovereignty, to play a more active role in resolving regional and global challenges,” Putin mentioned in Wednesday’s assertion.

Africa’s 54 nations make up the biggest voting bloc on the United Nations and have been extra divided than every other area on General Assembly resolutions criticizing Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

It’s the second Russia-Africa summit since 2019. The variety of heads of state attending shrank from 43 then to 17 now due to what the Kremlin described as a crude Western stress to discourage African nations from participating.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov deplored “unconcealed brazen interference by the U.S., France and other states through their diplomatic missions in African countries, and attempts to put pressure on the leadership of these countries in order to prevent their active participation in the forum.”

“It’s absolutely outrageous, but it will in no way prevent the success of the summit,” Peskov mentioned in a convention name with reporters.

Putin‘s overseas affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov mentioned that whereas solely 17 heads of state will attend the summit, 32 different African international locations will probably be represented by senior authorities officers or ambassadors.

The summit follows Russia‘s withdrawal from a deal that allowed Black Sea exports, very important to many African international locations, a transfer that drew a powerful condemnation all over the world and raised new threats to world meals safety.

Russia shrugged off criticism and doubled down by launching a barrage of missile assaults on Ukrainian ports and agriculture services.

At the identical time, Putin has repeatedly pledged that Russia would provide free grain to low-income African international locations now that the Black Sea deal has been terminated.

“I want to give assurances that our country is capable of replacing the Ukrainian grain both on a commercial and free-of-charge basis,” Putin mentioned in a press release Monday, asserting that Russia shipped nearly 10 million tons of grain to Africa within the first half of the yr.

Along with grain, one other subject more likely to be on the agenda would be the destiny of Russia‘s Wagner military company led by Yevgeny Prigozhin following its brief rebellion against the Kremlin last month. Wagner’s future will probably be an pressing subject for international locations like Sudan, Mali and others who contract with the mercenary group in change for pure sources like gold. Russian officers and Prigozhin have mentioned the corporate will proceed working in Africa.

A peace proposal for Ukraine that African leaders have tried to pursue is about to be mentioned as properly.

“The summit background will also offer an opportunity to African heads of state who are part of the African Leaders Peace Mission to continue talks with President Putin on the confidence-building measures that will create conducive conditions for a path to peace between Russia and Ukraine,” a press release from the South African presidency mentioned Wednesday.

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Associated Press writers Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow and Cara Anna in Nairobi, Kenya contributed to this report.

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