The Kremlin has complained about western pressure to stop African leaders attending an important summit in Russia this week, with less than half as many making the trip as when the Kremlin previously staged the event.
Yuri Ushakov, Russian president Vladimir Putin’s top foreign policy adviser, said on Wednesday that 21 heads of state and government would attend the summit in St Petersburg — a drop from 43 at the first Russia-Africa summit in 2019.
The limited representation is a blow for Putin, who has used Russia’s strong ties with Africa and sensitivity to his war’s effect on global agricultural markets as a wedge to rally sympathy for his stance on Ukraine.
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