Russian President Vladimir Putin will on Thursday host leaders of African countries for a two-day summit in St Petersburg. Putin said Russia aimed to “further develop” cooperation with Africa in a letter to summit participants. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pressed attendees to demand answers about a grain crisis that has propelled poorer nations towards crisis. Read our liveblog for all the latest developments. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
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6:35am: Putin to host 17 African leaders in St Petersburg
Russian President Vladimir Putin will on Thursday host leaders of African countries for a summit in St Petersburg.
“It is important that in recent years our cooperation with Africa has reached a new level. We intend to further develop it,” Putin said in a welcome letter to participants in the summit.
Seventeen African leaders including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa are expected at the Russia-Africa summit set to take place on Thursday and Friday at the Konstantinovsky Palace.
Putin, who is isolated on the international scene since launching a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine, still has support in several African countries.
3:48am: Blinken urges African leaders to confront Putin on grain disruptions
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday pressed African leaders attending a St Petersburg summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin to demand answers about a grain crisis that has propelled poorer nations towards crisis.
Speaking ahead of the summit, Blinken insisted that African leaders knew rising food costs, grain and fertiliser shortages were a direct result of Putin’s choice to invade Ukraine.
“They know exactly who’s to blame for this current situation,” Blinken said of the leaders, some of whom have offered tacit support for Moscow or refused to denounce the invasion.
“My expectation would be that Russia will hear this clearly from our African partners,” he said, speaking during a visit to New Zealand.
3:04am: Belarusian journalist sentenced to six years in prison for reporting on the opposition
A prominent journalist in Belarus was sentenced Wednesday to six years in prison, the latest step in a years-long crackdown on opposition figures, independent journalists and human rights activists.
On trial in the city of Grodno in western Belarus, Pavel Mazheika, 45, was found guilty of “complicity in extremist activity” for covering the activities of the political opposition.
He was accused of working for news outlets including Belsat TV, which broadcasts in Belarusian from its base in neighbouring Poland. The Belarusian authorities have labelled Belsat as “extremist”.
Key developments from Wednesday, July 26:
NATO condemned Russia’s “dangerous” moves to block Ukrainian grain exports in the Black Sea after urgent consultations with Kyiv on Wednesday following Moscow’s withdrawal from a key grain deal last week.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu arrived in North Korea, with delegations from Moscow and Beijing set to attend Korean War commemorations.
Read yesterday’s liveblog to see how the day’s events unfolded.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
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