ST. PETERSBURG, July 27. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s meetings with African leaders lasted longer than was scheduled, as the Russian leader sought to spend more time for his counterpart, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during the Russia-Africa Summit Thursday.

"I see that bilateral meetings lasted for an hour and a half, while half an hour was initially allocated for each meeting. Apparently, these discussions were very substantive, very in-depth, considering what African states are interested in, what Russia can provide, all this is being discussed," she said.