On July 27-28, St. Petersburg will host an economic forum within the framework of the Russia-Africa summit. The mention of the economic forum in the media began to appear a few days before the summit and only after Russia withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Agreement. Moreover, at first only niche media reported on the summit.

Brand Ukraine analyzed such world media as New York Times, Associated Press, The Washington Post, Politico, Independent, Newsweek, Voice of America, Financial Times, The Guardian and highlighted the main messages about this event.

Putin has a precarious position in relations with African countries.

The fact that Russia is under great pressure, writes Politico and Voice of America. According to them, Russia's shaky position in relations with African countries is due to three events that occurred the day before: Russia's withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Agreement, an attempted rebellion by the Wagner group, and the decision of the Supreme Court of South Africa to arrest Volodymyr Putin if he appears at the summit in Johannesburg .

Russia does not play an important economic role for Africa.

Despite the Kremlin's statements and high status in Africa, Russia invests little in this country and does not provide humanitarian assistance. And according to Steven Gruzd, an analyst at the South African Institute of International Affairs in Johannesburg, “China and the European Union are much bigger trading partners with Africa” than Russia. This was written by the Associated Press and Voice of America.

African countries strive to be full-fledged players in the political arena.

African leaders “cannot afford to look like they are sitting on the sidelines”, despite the fact that they have no leverage over Moscow or Kyiv. “They [African countries] should be seen as proactive”. This was stated by Priyal Singh, a senior fellow at the South African Institute for Security Studies, to the Financial Times. And analyst Cameron Hudson of the American Center for Strategic and International Studies told the Associated Press that “the continent of 1.3 billion people is becoming more confident on the world stage”, so if African countries leave the summit with the feeling that Russia does not hear them, they can distance themselves from it.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is using the summit to advance the peace plan.

The Financial Times wrote that “South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is using his presence at the summit to advance the peace plan”. It was this plan that Ramaphosa, along with three other African presidents, presented during his visits to Kyiv and Moscow. It implies not only free trade in the Black Sea, but also the importance of territorial sovereignty.

After withdrawing from the grain deal, Russia may be under criticism from African countries due to rising food prices.

Due to the withdrawal from the grain deal, world food prices will rise, so African leaders may begin to criticize Russia for this move. Also thanks to this, some African countries are becoming even more dependent on Russia. Politico wrote about it. The Guardian also wrote about the Russia-Africa summit and noted that Volodymyr Putin is afraid of public criticism.