Vladimir Putin says he prioritizes relations with Africa

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday he prioritized relations with African countries as Moscow seeks new partners to tackle international sanctions over the Ukraine conflict.

“I would like to emphasize that our country has always prioritized and will continue to give priority to cooperation with African states”Putin said in Moscow during a speech to African representatives.

“Our country is committed to continuing to build a strategic partnership in the full sense of the word with our African friends, and we stand ready to shape the global agenda together”continued the Russian president.

Putin said Russia, like Africa, “upholds traditional moral values” by “resisting neo-colonial ideology imposed from abroad.”

He also promised to supply grain to “Africa’s countries most in need” if Ukraine’s main export deal is not renewed within two months.

According to Putin, Russia plans to intensify cooperation with African countries in energy and medicine and to double the number of African students in Russian universities.

Against the background of Western sanctions for its offensive in Ukraine, Moscow is currently seeking support in Asia and Africa, where many states have not openly condemned Russian military intervention.

In recent years, Russia had already multiplied its initiatives on the African continent, aiming to establish itself as an alternative to the former colonial powers.

Signing numerous economic and military partnerships, the Russian paramilitary group Wagner established itself in several countries, most notably in the Central African Republic, where it helped erode French influence.

The next Russia-Africa summit, the second to be held, should take place in St. Petersburg from July 26 to 29.

Putin assured that he is preparing “very seriously” for this meeting and invited African leaders and regional organizations to participate.

At the first summit in 2019, Vladimir Putin welcomed the fact that he had opened “a new page” in relations with Africa, a continent from which Russia had largely withdrawn after the fall of the USSR.

The meeting was attended by representatives of 54 African countries, including 43 heads of state. The joint statement adopted at the end of the meeting denounced “political ‘dictates’ and financial blackmail”.