African Leaders Urge Putin to Cease Ukraine Conflict

African leaders at a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin urged him to end the Ukraine war and renew the Black Sea grain deal that Moscow recently terminated. The leaders expressed their concern about the consequences of the war, particularly rising food prices. They presented a peace plan that includes steps such as a Russian troop pull-back and sanctions relief. Putin defended Russia's position, blaming Ukraine and the West for the conflict. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi also called for the revival of the grain deal, emphasizing its importance for grain exports from Ukraine. Putin, in turn, argued that rising food prices were a result of Western policy mistakes.