A scaled-down summit of African leaders convening Thursday in St. Petersburg appears poised to draw about half as many heads of state as a similar conference four years ago, apparently because of global concerns over Moscow’s bold invasion of Ukraine.
Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which provided a lifeline of desperately needed grain shipments from Ukraine to multiple African nations, will be among crucial topics at the event in St. Petersburg.
Yuri Ushakov, foreign policy assistant to Russian President Vladimir Putin, acknowledged that less than half the 49 countries participating this year will be represented by heads of state, down from 43 at the inaugural summit four years ago. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov blamed the West for the low turnout, accusing the U.S., France and other nations of putting “unprecedented pressure” on African leaders to skip the gathering.
“Once again, (we will) continue the conversation on the grain deal, which has ceased to operate, about the reasons for this,” Peskov said.
Developments:
∎ The Moldova Foreign Affairs Ministry ordered Russia to trim its embassy personnel total to 25 by Aug. 15, down from more than 80. The decision was the result of “numerous unfriendly actions” and Russian efforts to destabilize the country, the ministry said.
∎ Ukrainian law enforcement agencies are investigating claims that Yury Aristov, a member of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Servant of the People party and deputy chairman of parliament’s national security committee, traveled to the Maldives in mid-July, despite the ban on officials traveling abroad on leisure.
∎ The Wagner Group mercenaries in Belarus are headed by a native of Ukraine, Sergei Chubko, according to All Eyes on Wagner, a group that monitors Wagner activities around the world. Chubko reportedly emigrated to Russia with his parents as a teen.
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Russian military claims it beat back Ukraine offensive near Zaporizhzhia nuke plant
The Ukraine military mounted a major offensive in the southern Zaporizhzhia region area, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told the state-run Tass news agency Wednesday. He claimed the assault, led by three battalions reinforced by tanks, was repelled by Russian forces. Ukraine leaders made no mention of the clash in a region heavily fortified by Russian troops and mines. Russia occupies much of the region, including Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, which has not generated electricity in months. Both sides have accused the other of reckless behavior near the plant that could result in catastrophe.
Could cluster bombs actually save lives in Ukraine?
The Biden administration’s controversial decision to provide Ukraine with cluster bombs could result in fewer deaths, a former State Department special presidential envoy for arms control says. The artillery shells disperse scores of “bomblets” that explode above the ground and rain shrapnel over a wide area. Marshall Billingslea, a senior fellow at the conservative Hudson Institute think tank, acknowledges that a “very small fraction” of the bomblets can fail to detonate, sitting in the ground for years before being detonated by an unsuspecting passerby − which could be a child at play.
“That’s a horrific possibility,” Billingslea writes in a commentary for the Daily Mail. “However, this future risk cannot be considered in isolation from the fact that Ukrainians are fighting for their lives right now.”
The bombs were designed “human wave” infantry tactics Russia has adopted, and these weapons could bring the war to a “speedier conclusion,” he says.
“If these purpose-built weapons bring the war to a speedier conclusion, they will be worth it,” Billingslea says.
Russian fleet appears poised to tighten blockade
Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has “altered its posture” since Russia pulled out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, apparently preparing to enforce a blockade on Ukraine, the British Defense Ministry says. The agreement had help moderate the involvement of the Black Sea in the war, the ministry said, warning that there is now the potential for violence in the area to increase.
“There is a realistic possibility (the fleet) will form part of a task group to intercept commercial vessels Russia believes are heading to Ukraine,” the ministry said.
