Russia Delivers Free Grain Shipments to Africa

Russia has begun sending free shipments of grain totaling up to 200,000 tonnes to six African countries, fulfilling a promise made by President Vladimir Putin. Ships have already left Russian ports for Burkina Faso and Somalia, with additional shipments to Eritrea, Zimbabwe, Mali, and the Central African Republic to follow. This comes after Russia withdrew from the UN-brokered Black Sea grain deal, which aimed to inject more wheat and other products into world markets. Ukraine, in response to the collapse of the deal, established a new Black Sea shipping corridor, with 151 ships using it since August.