Russia signs military deals with 40 African countries, Putin says

<p>Russia is aiming to expand its presence in Africa by opening new consulates and embassies and increasing staff in existing diplomatic representations.</p>, <span>Russia signs military deals with 40 African countries, Putin says. Twitter:@upholdreality</span>, <h2>Russia has signed agreements for military cooperation with over 40 African countries, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Friday in St Petersburg.</h2>, <p>“For the purposes of bolstering the defence capability of the continent’s countries, we are developing partnership in the military and military-technical spheres,” Putin said during the second and final day of the second Russia-Africa Summit.</p>, <p>“Russia has signed agreements on military-technical cooperation with more than 40 African states, to which we supply a broad range of armaments and hardware.”</p>, <p>Putin stated that African states received a wide range of weapons and technology, some for free “with the aim of enhancing the security and sovereignty of the countries.”</p>, <p>Representatives from African countries have been invited to actively participate in Russian-organized military forums dealing with the technical aspects of the weapons and also manoeuvres to become familiar with the equipment and its use.</p>, <p>Putin reiterated that Russia would continue to be a reliable supplier of grain to the continent’s countries. The pledge came after Russia ended a deal that allowed Ukrainian grain to be exported through the Black Sea. Ukraine is a major supplier of grain to Africa.</p>, <p>The chairman of the African Union said in his closing address at the summit that Putin’s proposals to provide grain were insufficient.</p>, <p>“Yes, this is important, but it may not be quite enough. We need to achieve a ceasefire,” Azali Assoumani said.</p>, <p>“President Putin has shown us that he is ready to engage in dialogue and find a solution,” he added. “Now we need to convince the other side.”</p>, <p>The British Ministry of Defence (MoD) has warned that African countries will experi