Russian President Vladimir Putin said today, Thursday, that the West is putting obstacles in the way of exporting Russian grain to the African continent, and that his country is ready to help in every possible way to strengthen the sovereignty of African countries.

Putin confirmed that Moscow supports the inclusion of the African Union in the work of international organizations and hopes that the Union will become a full member of the G20 in September of this year.

He also stated during a meeting with the Chairperson of the African Union, President of the Comoros, Azali Assoumani, and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, today Thursday: "We support the inclusion of the Union (African) in the work of leading international associations," adding: "Russia was one of the first countries to respond positively to the initiative to grant the African Union full membership in the G20."

He continued: "We rely on the decision to be made in September during the G20 Summit in New Delhi." Putin also indicated that Russia views the African Union as "a leading regional organization that constitutes a modern security architecture on the continent and prepares conditions to ensure a worthy place for Africa in the global economic relations system."

Moreover, the Russian president affirmed that his country is ready to assist in every possible way to strengthen the sovereignty of African nations, and to help make Africa one of the main partners in the new multipolar world system, adding: "We will pay special attention to these issues during the summit that opens today."

As Russian President Vladimir Putin hosts his African partners today Thursday in Saint Petersburg as part of a Russian-African summit, amidst concerns from the continent's countries raised by Moscow's abandonment of an agreement that allowed the export of millions of tons of Ukrainian grain, the Kremlin emphasized the need to discuss the events in Niger at the summit.

The Kremlin stated that the Ukrainian issue will also be discussed during the summit on Friday, during a "working lunch between Vladimir Putin and a group of African heads of state."