Putin’s pitch to Africa

Fewer African leaders are attending Putin’s summit [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( Vladimir Putin is surrounding himself with African leaders today as Russia seeks to show he has plenty of friends despite efforts by the US and its allies to isolate him over the war in Ukraine. Yet the second Russia-Africa summit in the president’s home town of St. Petersburg isn’t the hit the Kremlin had planned. Just 17 heads of state are attending, compared to 43 when Putin hosted the first event in 2019, while other countries have sent lower-level officials. Key Reading: [Putin Hosts Africa Summit in the Shadow of Grain Deal’s Collapse]( [Russia Pulls the Plug on Ukraine Grain Export Agreement]( [Wagner Will Retain Some African Interests After Russian Mutiny]( Follow our [Ukraine Recap]( for the latest coverage of the war. Hours before the summit, Russian missiles struck port infrastructure in Ukraine’s Odesa again, pushing up wheat prices that have surged since Putin abandoned the Black Sea deal allowing vital grain exports. African nations, in particular, are angry at the impact on food prices of the collapse of the deal. Pictures of Putin holding bilateral meetings with a succession of leaders also reinforce Kremlin efforts to prove to domestic audiences that he’s still viewed abroad as Russia’s unchallenged ruler despite the mutiny by Wagner mercenaries last month. Wagner’s important for a number of African leaders who struck security arrangements with its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, as a proxy for Russian engagement. They’re now puzzling over the state of the relationship between the Kremlin and Wagner. Russia’s engagement with Africa harks back to the Cold War when the Soviet Union challenged the US in proxy conflicts across the continent. Then, Moscow offered support and weapons to friendly regimes and liberation movements in places like Angola and South Africa. It’s also supplied nuclear technology to nations such as Egypt. While that record still counts for something, Putin is in a contest with the US, the European Union and, critically, China’s vast trade and investments in Africa. The Kremlin will spin the summit as a positive for Putin’s global authority. But the consequences of Russia’s war in Ukraine are heightening concern among African leaders. Demonstrators hold a banner reading “Thank you Wagner” as they celebrate France’s troop withdrawal from Mali on Feb. 19, 2022. Photographer: Florent Vergnes/AFP/Getty Images [Listen to our Twitter Space discussion]( on what to expect from Putin’s summit with African leaders, as we look ahead to the BRICS summit next month in South Africa. And if you are enjoying this newsletter, sign up [here](. Global Headlines Ukraine kicked off a long-awaited thrust in its counteroffensive with an [armored assault]( on Russian fortifications in the south that may be part of a push to cut Moscow’s land link to its strongholds in occupied Crimea. The assault coincided with new Russian missile strikes against infrastructure in Ukraine’s Odesa region that killed one person and damaged a grain cargo. - US President Joe Biden has asked the federal government to [share evidence of Russian war crimes]( in Ukraine with The Hague-based International Criminal Court. Soldiers seized control in the West African nation of Niger after [detaining President Mohamed Bazoum](, who came to power two years ago in the first democratic transfer of power since independence from France in 1960. The claimed military takeover follows five successful coups in the past three years in West Africa — a region wracked by the growing influence of Islamist militants and food shortages brought about by climate change — including two in neighboring Mali and two in Burkina Faso. The ouster of Xi Jinping’s handpicked foreign minister Qin Gang shows how the Chinese president’s strengthened [grip on power]( has failed to insulate him from setbacks on some of his biggest policy priorities. While there’s no sign the Chinese leader faces any serious threat to his rule, the diplomatic turbulence adds to a long list of challenges facing China that can be traced, in part, to Xi’s signature initiatives, such as his ideological fight with the US and stringent Covid Zero policies. - China’s military has launched a [corruption probe]( linked to procuring hardware going back more than five years. Best of Bloomberg Opinion - [The Harsh Truth Is We’re Using More Oil Than Ever: Javier Blas]( - [How the West Can Defeat Putin’s Grain Blockade: Editorial]( - [India Can’t Lead the Global South and Not Feed It: Mihir Sharma]( Kim Jong Un met Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in the first high-level talks for North Korea since the start of the Covid pandemic as Pyongyang celebrated the 70th anniversary of the end of Korean War fighting. Shoigu handed Kim a signed letter from Putin and was given a tour of [a weapons exhibition](, where nuclear-capable ballistic missiles and drones were on display. WATCH: Kim Jong Un has expanded his military despite North Korea being one of the most impoverished places in the world. Source: Bloomberg Explainers You Can Use - [The Fast-Rising Toll of the Billion-Dollar Climate Disaster]( - [Why Chile’s New Approach to Lithium Matters Globally]( - [Why Hunter Biden Remains a Washington Preoccupation]( Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will privately commit to [withdrawing]( Italy from China’s Belt and Road investment and infrastructure initiative during a trip to the White House today, sources say. Meloni is looking to build up a relationship with Biden and will brief the president on the delicate choreography of that split, without going public. Check out the latest Big Take podcast on Meloni’s visit to Washington. Listen [here]( and on [Apple]( and [Spotify](. News to Note - China has offered to hold [joint military drills]( with the Philippines, the Southeast Asian nation’s armed forces chief said, against the backdrop of elevated tensions over disputed waters. - Biden is unveiling a series of new actions to shelter Americans from [extreme heat conditions](, including information about what employers should do to protect workers and ensure employees know their rights. - Mauritius has seen an influx of visitors from Europe [seeking respite from summer heat waves](, protests and the fallout from the war in Ukraine. - President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has decided to pick an economist known for [his unorthodox views]( to run Brazil’s statistics agency, raising concerns about the institution’s future. - Greece is fighting almost 200 wildfires [as strengthening winds]( present an additional challenge, even as the heat wave across the Mediterranean eases. And finally ... Global ocean surface temperatures in June were the highest in 174 years of data — near Miami, coastal Atlantic waters are pushing 90F (32C). That’s a disaster-in-waiting because hot seas are amplifying [extreme]( weather events that are claiming lives and inflicting massive economic damage. It’s a grim cycle, since the warmer oceans become, the less they are able to absorb the world’s excess heat, setting off a cascade of climate impacts from stronger storms to the loss of coral reefs. A map of average ocean temperatures during the powerful El Niño of 1997 showed plenty of cool water. A fledgling El Niño is just getting under way this year, but the world’s oceans are already much warmer. Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration More from Bloomberg - [Washington Edition]( for exclusive coverage on how the worlds of money and politics intersect in the US capital - [Economics Daily]( for what the changing landscape means for policy makers, investors and you - [Supply Lines]( for daily insights into supply chains and globe trade - [Bw Daily]( for unique perspectives, original reporting and insightful analysis from Businessweek’s renowned journalists - [Green Daily]( for the latest in climate news, zero-emission tech and green finance Explore more newsletters at [Bloomberg.com](. Follow Us Like getting this newsletter? [Subscribe to Bloomberg.com]( for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and subscriber-only insights. Want to sponsor this newsletter? [Get in touch here](. You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Balance of Power newsletter. 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