Summary: The Africa-Russia summit, usually attended by 43 to 44 countries, saw a significant decline in participation, with only 17 countries present. Russia's withdrawal from a grain deal adversely affected African countries, prompting discussions at the summit about food supply challenges. Putin 's offer of 50,000 tons of free grain to affected countries is minimal compared to the 30 million tons of grain previously supplied by Ukraine . Yevgeny Prigosin 's presence at the conference indicates continued patronage from Putin , despite controversial actions by his mercenary groups. ...