Why US-Russia summit matters to Africa

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The US-Russia Peace Summit held in Alaska on August 15, brought US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin together to address the Ukraine war. Although no ceasefire or agreement was reached, the meeting underscored the complexity of the conflict.

Discussions reportedly included “NATO style guarantees” for Ukraine, aimed at exploring long-term security frameworks. Analysts warn that without enforceable mechanisms, Russia may continue leveraging its territorial gains in negotiations.

Three days later, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Trump at the White House alongside seven European leaders, including Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz and Ursula von der Leyen. This show of Western unity bolstered Kyiv’s position and linked diplomacy with ongoing military and economic support.

The summit highlighted deep divisions; Russia seeks recognition of Crimea, Luhansk, Donetsk and parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson as bargaining chips; Ukraine insists on full sovereignty and rejects territorial concessions, while the EU and its allies push for security guarantees, sanctions enforcement and post-war reconstruction planning.

Currently, Russia controls roughly 20% of Ukraine, including Crimea, most of Luhansk and Donetsk, the southern Zaporizhzhia corridor and parts of east-bank Kherson. Crimea hosts the Black Sea Fleet and energy infrastructure, while Luhansk and Donetsk remain industrial and mining centres. Mariupol and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant remain under Russian control, providing leverage.

Ukraine continues to resist with F-16 fighter jets, long-range missiles such as ATACMS and Storm Shadow and integrated air defence systems (Patriot, IRIS-T, NASAMS).

Since 2022, Western support has included over 500 HIMARS launchers, 300,000 artillery rounds and 72 F-16s via European delivery pipelines.

For Africa, the summit has indirect, but significant effects. The collapse of the Black Sea Grain Initiative in July 2023 disrupted wheat, corn and sunflower oil exports, raising global prices by roughly 25–30% and affecting countries such as Egypt, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Uganda.

Fertiliser shortages — Russia and Ukraine account for about 30% of global potash and nitrogen exports — have further impacted agriculture. Stabilising Ukraine and Europe indirectly protects African food and energy security.

At the same time, the international spotlight on Ukraine has raised concerns in the Global South, where other urgent crises receive far less attention. The Israel-Gaza war has created one of the world’s gravest humanitarian catastrophes: nearly 62,300 Palestinians have been killed, including 2,060 shot dead while seeking food aid and 273 who died from starvation under siege conditions. The blockade has crippled Gaza, deepening famine and leaving millions in acute food insecurity.

By contrast, the conflict was triggered by the October attacks in which 1,195 Israelis were killed. Yet the disproportionate toll and devastation in Gaza remain underaddressed in global responses.

Meanwhile, rising malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa threatens millions more, but both crises continue to receive insufficient attention.

For African policymakers, this uneven prioritisation underscores the urgency of maintaining strategic autonomy — engaging multiple partners to protect populations, while calling for fairer global concern for all human suffering.

The summit illustrates the complex interaction of military, economic and diplomatic power. Russia’s territorial holdings give it bargaining leverage, while Western support helps Ukraine maintain negotiating strength.

For African states, this creates a window to secure aid, maintain trade and balance relations without taking sides. Post-war reconstruction in Ukraine, potentially exceeding $500b in energy, infrastructure, and defence projects, could create opportunities for African companies and investors.

Therefore, the US-Russia Peace Summit underlined the continuing challenges of the Ukraine conflict and the broader geopolitical stakes. It revealed clear divides between Russian territorial ambitions, Ukrainian sovereignty priorities and European security goals.

For Africa, the summit highlights both risks — rising food and energy pressures and uneven global attention — and opportunities, including engagement in reconstruction, diversified trade and strengthened international partnerships. Policymakers in the Global South must navigate these developments carefully, balancing humanitarian needs with strategic interests.

The writer is a Foreign Affairs Analyst, an Adjunct Senior Fellow with the Centre for Policy and Strategic Studies (CPSS) Africa and the Provost at the Lincoln Institute for Diplomacy and International Relations, Kampala, Uganda