Russia has signed agreements for military cooperation with over 40 African countries.

Russian President Vladimir Putin who announced this in St Petersburg, said this was for the purposes of bolstering the defence capability of the continent’s countries.

Speaking during the second and final day of the second Russia-Africa Summit, Putin said the signed agreements would see military-technical cooperation including the supply a broad range of armaments and hardware.

Putin reiterated that Russia would continue to be a reliable supplier of grain to the continent’s countries, with the pledge coming days after Russia ended a deal that allowed Ukrainian grain to be exported through the Black Sea.

Although, the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) has warned that African countries will experience prolonged consequences, as the impact of the war in Ukraine will almost certainly compound food insecurity in Africa for at least the next two years.