President Putin will host African leaders at a special summit in St Petersburg later.
But far fewer of them are taking part than expected, partly because of concerns about Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and its decision to withdraw from a UN-brokered deal to allow safe passage for grain shipments from Ukraine’s southern ports.
With food security a major concern in the wake of the Russian invasion, the agreement had helped stabilise global food prices.
The first Russia-Africa summit in 2019 was attended by 43 leaders, this time only 17 are expected to take part.