Putin woos African leaders in Moscow, says Russia a better partner than ‘colonial’ West

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with African leaders at a summit in Moscow to bolster Russia's influence on the continent. Speaking at the Kremlin, Putin framed Russia and Africa as having "strong bonds of friendship and close partnership." The summit comes as part of Moscow's broader strategy to deepen relations with a continent of nearly 1.6 billion people, who form the largest voting bloc at the United Nations.

Putin emphasized Russia's historical ties to African independence movements and positioned Russia as a counterweight to Western influence in the developing world, accusing Western nations of still exploiting the continent's resources and using debt to hinder development. He called for a multipolar world order based on respect for international law and UN Charter principles.

The African leaders present at the summit called for reform of global institutions, with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi highlighting the importance of regional stability for economic progress and Kenyan President William Ruto demanding permanent African representation on the UN Security Council. Putin endorsed Ruto's call for reform, emphasizing that "the absence of African representatives at the U.N. Security Council is unfair."

Trade was a key focus of the discussions, with bilateral trade between Russia and African states reaching $27 billion in the previous year. Putin pledged to expand these trade figures through energy, mining, industrial, and logistics projects. He contrasted Russia's commercial approach with historical Western practices, emphasizing that Russian business partners operate honestly, respect local interests, and reinvest profits into African economies.

Russia also offered to share its digital technology and localize production to avoid merely buying raw materials. The summit highlighted food security as a priority, with Russia delivering over 18 million metric tons of grain to Africa the previous year.