Russia sends first free grain to Africa since end of Black Sea deal

After withdrawing from the UN-brokered Black Sea grain deal, Moscow has started shipments of 200,000 tonnes of grain. According to Russia's agriculture minister, Dmitry Patrushev, Moscow has begun the delivery of 200,000 tonnes of grain to six African countries as promised by President Vladimir Putin.

Patrushev announced on Friday that ships bound for Burkina Faso and Somalia have already departed from Russian ports, and shipments to Eritrea, Zimbabwe, Mali, and Central African Republic are set to follow soon.

At a summit with African leaders in July, Putin made a commitment to provide complimentary grain to six countries. This promise came shortly after Moscow terminated a deal that allowed Ukraine to export grain from its Black Sea ports amidst the ongoing conflict with Russia.

The Black Sea grain initiative, facilitated by the United Nations, aimed to address the risk of famine by increasing the availability of wheat, sunflower oil, fertilizers, and other essential commodities in global markets, particularly for humanitarian purposes.