The head of the African Union, Macky Sall, met with Vladimir Putin on June 3rd in Russia. He aims to secure the release of grain stocks currently blocked in Ukraine due to the war. Indeed, African countries dependent on imports of Ukrainian and Russian wheat fear a looming food crisis. Amid the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian conflict, the President of Senegal and the African Union, Macky Sall, met in Russia with his counterpart Vladimir Putin to obtain the release of wheat stocks currently blocked as a result of the war in Ukraine.

Following the notable abstention of several African countries during the vote to sanction Russia over the conflict in Ukraine, this visit by the African Union president signals, to some extent, Africa’s desire to distinguish itself from its former colonial powers who advocate isolating Russia. Africa thus demonstrates its wish to have greater influence on the international geopolitical stage by focusing its diplomacy on the paradigm of multilateralism. It is no longer a question of African countries aligning behind any dominant power and risking suffering the devastating consequences of a conflict that is not theirs. Charting its own course becomes an appealing alternative for Africa, which wants to play its hand strategically in the Russo-Ukrainian conflict.

Beyond this strategic approach, whose ultimate goal is to help fragile African states avoid the specter of food riots, Macky Sall’s visit also represents an opportunity for Russia to restore its image on the international stage, where some actors hope for its “humiliation.”