Russian fertilisers and Ukrainian grain: 6 African presidents to visit Ukraine with special "mission"

In June 2023, a delegation of six African presidents plans to visit Ukraine and Russia. They want to increase grain exports from Ukraine and agree on the export of fertilisers from Russia.

Source: negotiator Jean-Yves Ollivier in an interview with the Associated Press

Quote: "A delegation of six African leaders set to hold talks with Kyiv and Moscow aim to ‘initiate a peace process,’ but also broach the thorny issue of how a heavily-sanctioned Russia can be paid for the fertiliser exports Africa desperately needs."

Details: Ollivier has reportedly been working for six months to organise these negotiations.

According to him, African leaders would also discuss how to increase grain exports from Ukraine amid the war and the possibility of more prisoner swaps.

The African delegation wants to visit both countries in June 2023 on a "peacekeeping mission".

Ollivier arrived in Moscow and will also visit Kyiv for meetings with high-level officials to work out "logistics" for the upcoming talks.

According to him, six African presidents will probably have to go to Kyiv by night train from Poland.

Amongst them are the presidents of South Africa, Senegal, Egypt, the Republic of Congo, Uganda and Zambia.

Olivier said that the talks have been endorsed by the US, EU, UN, African Union and China, and that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin have agreed to host the African delegation. 

The key starting point for Africa is grain and fertilisers.

The war has severely restricted the export of grain from Ukraine and fertilisers from Russia, exacerbating global food insecurity and hunger.

Africa has been one of the most affected continents.

Last week, Russia agreed to a two-month extension of a deal brokered by Türkiye and the UN that allows Ukraine to ship grain through the Black Sea and to the rest of the world, and the six African presidents would like to see a further extension of the agreement.

According to Olivier, they also want to discuss ways to make it easier for African countries to receive supplies and pay for Russian fertilisers.

Russian fertilisers are not under international sanctions, but the US and some Western countries have imposed sanctions on Russian cargo ships.

Russia's access to SWIFT is also restricted by sanctions, making it difficult for African countries to order and pay for critical fertilisers.

"We will need to have a window whereby SWIFT will be authorised for this specific point. That will be on the table and we hope that in that case we will gain the support of the Russians for the grains from Ukraine, and we will gain the support of the Ukrainians to find payments and shipments possible for the Russian fertiliser," Ollivier said. 

Earlier: 

In May 2023, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a phone call that he wanted to come to Ukraine with a mission from several African countries.

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