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Russia to provide free grain to Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, CAR and Eritrea with 25-50,000 tons of grain free of charge, we will also provide free delivery... Russia makes a significant contribution to global food security... those who say it is not so are telling lies, Putin told an African conference in St Petersburg on July 26.
Putin met Prigozhin after rebellion. Russian dictator Vladimir Putin met the founder of the Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin after the rebellion, the Russian state news agency TASS cited Putin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on July 10.
The EU will tax profits on frozen Russian Central Bank assets. EU leaders are backing plans that would impose a windfall tax on profits generated by more than €200B in Russian Central Bank assets to aid Ukraine’s reconstruction and will seek political support from the G7 countries. During a summit in Brussels Thursday, EU leaders supported exploring the windfall option despite the range of complex issues regarding how to use the sanctioned assets, according to people familiar with the talks. The Russian central bank assets immobilized in the EU are expected to generate some €3B in windfall profits. Over half the assets are in cash and deposits, while a substantial amount of the remainder is in securities that will transform to cash as they mature in the next two to three years, reported Bloomberg. Many of these funds are in Belgium, where they generated nearly €750M in the year's first quarter. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen previously said she would present a plan before the summer break. However, the proposal's timing is now unclear, given the number of obstacles that still need to be addressed.
The OSCE recognizes Russia as a sponsor of terrorism and Wagner as a terrorist group. The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly recognized the Russian Federation as a state sponsor of terrorism and the Russian Wagner Group as a terrorist organisation. Yevgenia Kravchuk, a member of the Ukrainian delegation to the OSCE, noted that on Tuesday, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly members adopted the final declaration. According to her, the document states that terrorism is one of the biggest threats to international peace and security, and the actions of PMC Wagner on behalf of the Russian government can rightly be characterized as terrorist. In this context, it is emphasized that Russian President Vladimir Putin personally admitted that the Wagner Group was "fully financed" by the Russian Federation. In addition, Kravchuk stressed that the declaration states that OSCE member states should take measures against PMC Wagner, and its affiliated and successor structures.
Hungary will ask the EU for a one-year prolongation of the sanctions exemption for oil refiner Slovnaft, allowing it to export products made from Russian oil to Czechia, Reuters cited Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó on July 3.
22 RUSSIA Country Report August 2023 www.intellinews.com