Analysts told VOA that high on the agenda will be President Vladimir Putin’s nixing of an arrangement that allowed Ukrainian grain to reach foreign markets. Many African countries have been hesitant to take sides in the conflict. At the first Russia-Africa Summit in 2019, Putin vowed to double trade with Africa to $40 billion over five years. Instead, it has been sitting at about $18 billion a year, compared with China’s record $282 billion worth of trade with Africa. While the summit aims to position Russia as a global player, Russian media reported that fewer than half of the African countries attending are sending their heads of state.

Source: Ethiopian News July 26, 2023 16:50 UTC