African leaders have begun pressuring Vladimir Putin, on Friday, July 28, to forge ahead with their peace plan so that the Ukraine war can be terminated and a new deal on safe wartime export of Ukrainian grain can be discussed.
While not immediately critical of Russia, the African Nations interventions on the second day of the summit had been more coordinated and forced than they had previously voiced out.
They had served as Russia’s reminder, highlighting that one the imminent consequences of the war, would be inflated food prices.
Putin had on his part, given the appeal a cool reception when the African leaders had presented it to him last month.
Then on Friday, he had commented that Moscow had honoured the proposal and was still studying it. Putin then went on to state that the war with Ukraine would be discussed at a later time, during a work dinner.