Raila advises African leaders to take position ahead of Russia-Africa summit
Raila says the Russia-Africa summit is not politically advisable urging African leaders to take a position on the Ukraine war
Raila says the Russia-Africa summit is not politically advisable urging African leaders to take a position on the Ukraine war.
Azimio Leader Raila Odinga has said that this week’s Russia-Africa Summit is ”not politically advisable.”
Speaking during an international press conference in Nairobi, Raila urged African leaders to take a position on the conflict in Russia and Ukraine.
”I don’t think this is the time for summits, Russia should not be involved in summits just like how the Ukraine summit will not be welcome,” Raila said.
Raila spoke just hours before the two days Russia-Africa economic and humanitarian forum kicks off.
African leaders will from Thursday arrive in St Petersburg for a high-level summit hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Raila said given the current situation, any summit for the two warring nations would be unwelcome.
”We cannot be neutral in case f aggression, you have to take a position. Russia is currently in war and my position is that the summit is not politically advisable,” Raila said.
The summit which is set to begin on Thursday, comes a year and a half into Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine.
Moscow’s forces have stepped up the bombing of Ukrainian ports since it exited a UN-led grain deal, leaving some African leaders fretting over possible food riots at home.
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However, Russia blamed the United States and the European Union for the deal’s collapse, asserting they had “used every trick” to keep Russian grain and fertilizer from the global markets.
President Vladimir Putin’s government is under new pressure to show its commitment to the African continent that is increasingly assertive on the global stage.
Putin has repeatedly said that Russia would offer free grain to low-income African countries now that the grain 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 said in a statement Monday, asserting that Russia shipped almost 10 million tons of grain to Africa in the first half of this year.
Africa’s 54 nations make up the largest voting bloc at the United Nations and have been more divided than any other region on General Assembly resolutions criticizing Russia’s invasion.
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