African countries have called for an immediate release of Russian fertilizers blocked in EU seaports so that they can enter global markets, including African ones, said Vincent Magwenya, the official representative of the South African president, during a media briefing on August 3.
According to the official, this call was made by the African leaders spearheading the peace initiative to ensure peaceful resolution of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. He recalled that last week, on July 28, the presidents of the Comoros, South Africa, Republic of Congo, Egypt, Senegal, Uganda and the foreign minister of Zambia held a meeting on the Ukrainian settlement with the Russian leader.
In particular, Magwenya emphasized that following the second meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin within the framework of the African peace mission, the leaders urged the UN to take necessary steps to release Russian fertilizers as soon as possible.
"The leaders called upon the United Nations to take necessary action in order to release 200,000 tons of Russian fertilizer blocked in European Union seaports for immediate and free delivery to African countries," he stressed.
Magwenya noted that the issue of the need to unblock Russian fertilizers at the ports of the European Union was discussed at the Russia-Africa summit held in St. Petersburg on July 27-28.
Addressing the summit participants, President Putin said that only two small shipments of 262,000 tons of Russian fertilizer had been sent to Malawi and Kenya. According to the Russian president, several barriers have been mounted against Moscow's attempts to provide mineral fertilizers free of charge to the world's poorest countries.
Magwenya further elaborated that the African leaders called for the full resumption of the Black Sea grain deal, adding that reports saying that they supported Putin's decision to pull out of the agreement are "a little bit inaccurate."
"The leaders called for the specific steps to remove obstacles to Russian grain and fertilizer exports, thus allowing the resumption of the full implementation of the Black Sea package initiative of the United Nations Secretary-General as endorsed on 22 July, 2022 in Istanbul," he said.
On July 18, 2023, the grain deal, which provided a humanitarian corridor for Ukrainian grain exports, expired since Russia did not renew its participation. Moscow, which has repeatedly extended the July 2022 deal, recalled that the part of the agreement concerning Russia - the removal of obstacles to its agricultural exports - had not been fulfilled.
Earlier, the Kremlin also pointed out that, although the deal was intended to send food to the needy countries, most of the grain ended up in developed nations of the West.
As Putin stated during the meeting with members of the African peace mission on July 28, Russia carefully analyzed the thoughts and considerations of African countries on Ukraine, and appreciates their determination to find a just and fair solution to the crisis. The Russian leader expressed hope that the African colleagues understand the nature and origins of the Ukraine conflict. He also emphasized that Russia had never refused to hold talks with Kiev.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, for his part, said that African countries want peace in Ukraine and have the right to call for peace. Ramaphosa noted that Africa hopes that "constructive engagement and negotiation can bring about an end to the ongoing conflict" between Russia and Ukraine.
According to presidential spokesman Magwenya, during the meeting, the leaders acknowledged the progress made on proposals they had previously discussed, including humanitarian issues such as prisoner exchanges.
This meeting on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa Summit was the second in the series, with the first one taking place at the Constantine Palace near St. Petersburg on June 17.