Russia’s Lavrov reassures Egypt on grain supplies amid Ukraine war
- Russia’s top diplomat Sergey Lavrov begins tour of African countries dependent on imports for their food supply
- Tour comes after Russia-Ukraine deal aimed at relieving global food crisis caused by blocked Black Sea grain deliveries
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov offered reassurances over Russian grain supplies to Egypt during a visit to Cairo, amid uncertainty over a deal to resume Ukrainian exports from the Black Sea.
Egypt is one of the world’s top wheat importers and last year bought about 80 per cent of those imports from Russia and Ukraine. Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine disrupted shipments and sped up a rise in global commodity prices, delivering a financial shock to Egypt.
In its response to the war, Egypt has been torn between long-standing ties to Russia and its close relationship to Western powers that have sanctioned and sought to isolate Moscow.
Western embassies had lobbied Egypt and the Arab League ahead of Lavrov’s visit, which included talks with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and representatives of the Arab League.
“We reaffirmed the commitment of Russian grain exporters to meet all their commitments,” Lavrov said in a press conference with Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukri on Sunday.
“We discussed specific parameters of cooperation in this area, agreed on further contacts between the relevant ministries, and we have a common understanding of the causes of the grain crisis.”