Grain supply tops Putin-African Union head talks agenda

MOSCOW (AP) — The chairman of the African Union, Senegal’s President Macy Sall, has told Russian President Vladimir Putin that the fighting in Ukraine and Western sanctions had worsened food shortages, and appealed to other countries to ensure grain and fertilizer exports aren’t blocked. Putin blamed the West after the meeting in the Black Sea city of Sochi Friday for emerging global food and energy crises, and repeated offers of safe passage for ships exporting grain from Ukraine. African countries are especially hard hit by the food shortages and price increases. They imported 44% of their wheat from Russia and Ukraine between 2018 and 2020, according to U.N. figures, and prices have soared around 45%, according to the African Development Bank.