At Putin's invitation and as part of the efforts of the Presidency of the African Union to contribute to the calming of the war in Ukraine and to open the way to stocks of grain and

fertilizer whose traffic impacts African countries in particular ", the Office of Senegalese President Maki Salle, current Chairman of the African Union, announced Thursday in a statement that he would travel to Russia to meet with President Vladimir Putin in Sochi on Friday. He also added that the Chairperson of the African Union Chadian Commission, Musa Faki Mohamed, would accompany Salle on his visit.

"The African Union agreed to President Volodymyr Zelensky's request to send a video message to the organization, the timing and means of which will be jointly agreed."

In a letter Tuesday to European leaders meeting in Brussels, the Senegalese President asked for everything to "release available grain stocks" in Ukraine but was stuck because of Russia's attack, which imposes a blockade in the Black Sea and prohibits access to the port of Odessa.

He described the "catastrophic scenario of shortages and price increases." He emphasized that the current crisis is coming after the Covid-19 crisis, which has essentially exacerbated famine in Africa. "Perhaps the worst is yet to come," he said.

Many African States, including Senegal, relied heavily on grain imports from the region. He expressed concern about the implications of European sanctions excluding Russian banks from Swift's international system, which allowed for major operations such as transfer orders.

Senegal, which maintains strong relations with Western States, came as a surprise on 2 March when it abstained during a vote in the United Nations General Assembly on a resolution demanding that "Russia immediately cease the use of force against Ukraine".

In contrast, Senegal voted on 24 March on a second resolution requesting Russia's immediate cessation of the war. About half of African States abstained and did not vote on these two draft resolutions.

During a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Dakar at the end of May, Sall said the conflict was "affecting" Africans but was taking place "on another continent", but added that he "condemned the invasion" more clearly than previously.