This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission.
The Kremlin says less than one-third of the presidents invited will attend the Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg on July 27-28. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aide Yury Ushakov said on July 26 that, out of 54 African delegations invited to the summit, only 17 will be led by presidents.
In addition, 10 will be headed by prime ministers, while the rest will be led by less senior officials.
Five countries refused to take part in the event. In the first such summit held in 2019 in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, 45 African delegations were led by presidents or prime ministers.
