Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Macky Sall, visiting Senegalese president and chairman of the African Union, in Sochi.

Russia's relations with African countries are at a new stage of development, and Russia attaches great importance to them, Putin told Sall.

Sall urged Putin to be aware that African countries are "victims" of the Ukraine conflict, according to AFP. He said food supplies should be "outside" of Western sanctions imposed on Moscow over Ukraine.