Russia 'carefully' examining African peace plan for Ukraine, Putin says at summit
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00:00 Posing for a family photo alongside 17 of his African counterparts in St. Petersburg,
00:07 Vladimir Putin kicks off the second day of his Russian-African summit in attempts to
00:11 strengthen ties on the continent.
00:14 A hot topic on the day's agenda is Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
00:18 The 54-nation strong African bloc make up the largest voting bloc in the UN, but have
00:24 been divided in criticising Moscow's actions.
00:27 The Russian president said he'd look into the Ukraine peace plan proposed by some leaders
00:32 last month.
00:33 "Let's take, for example, the initiative of a number of African states to resolve the
00:38 Ukrainian crisis.
00:39 This is an acute problem and we're not evading its consideration.
00:42 We respect your initiatives and we're examining them carefully."
00:48 With the Wagner group's future left uncertain, President Putin expressed an interest in maintaining
00:53 a security presence in Africa.
00:56 Saying Russia would supply free arms to some states to enhance military cooperation on
01:01 the continent and develop links with law enforcement.
01:04 "We're interested in close cooperation with the law enforcement agencies and special services
01:10 of African countries.
01:12 We plan to continue training African law enforcement and military units in Russia's specialised
01:17 learning facilities."
01:20 Many African countries rely heavily on Russian and Ukrainian grain imports and expressed
01:25 their concerns that Moscow withdrew from the Black Sea grain deal.
01:29 "In the case of grain, which is integral to African diets, we are now facing shortages
01:36 and it is having a real impact on the daily lives of the population."
01:42 Putin also reassured that Russia would send free shipments to those nations most in need
01:47 and remain a reliable importer.