Putin to host 22 African leaders in Moscow

Delegations from 48 countries have confirmed they will take part, with 33 agreements and a new cooperation plan expected

Russian President Vladimir Putin will host 22 African leaders at the Russia-Africa summit in Moscow this week for talks spanning economic cooperation, energy, and global affairs, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov has said.

Putin’s schedule includes 24 bilateral meetings across the Russia-Africa gathering and Tuesday’s eighth Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) summit, Ushakov told reporters on Monday.

Five are scheduled for Tuesday, with the presidents of Mozambique, Equatorial Guinea, and Iran, as well as Qatar’s emir and Libya’s Presidential Council chairman. Another 11 are planned for Friday, including talks with representatives of Ghana, Mali, Mauritania, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, DR Congo, Togo, Eritrea, Somalia, and Comoros.

Ushakov said the discussions will emphasize “national sovereignty and fair access to food, resources, fertilizers, and modern technologies,” adding: “We have a busy... extremely packed week ahead.”

According to the Kremlin aide, delegations from 48 of Africa’s 54 countries have confirmed that they will take part in the October 28-29 gathering. Putin and Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye, the African Union chair, will co-chair the summit at the Grand Kremlin Palace.

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He said the Russia-Africa summit will adopt a cooperation action plan for 2027-2029 and two declarations, one setting out joint positions and the other covering cooperation in AI. Another 33 intergovernmental, interagency, and commercial documents are set to be signed with African countries.

The accompanying Economic and Humanitarian Forum will cover agriculture, energy, mining, finance, and technology, with around 4,000 Russian and African entrepreneurs invited.

The gathering follows the 2019 Sochi summit, attended by 43 African heads of state or government, and the 2023 St. Petersburg summit, which drew delegations from 48 African countries, including 17 heads of state. Russia completed the delivery of 200,000 metric tons of free grain to six African countries in February 2024, fulfilling Putin’s pledge at the 2023 summit, according to the Agriculture Ministry.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said earlier this month that Western governments are attempting to pressure African states, including through financial blackmail, to deter them from attending the Moscow summit. Russia has positioned itself as a strategic ally to African countries, with governments across the continent seeking closer ties in education, energy, and security despite Western criticism.

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Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop defended his country’s partnership during Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s February 2023 visit to Bamako, saying, “We are not going to continue to justify our choice of partners.”

Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, who is in Moscow for the Russia-Africa summit, reaffirmed his country’s nonaligned foreign policy in London last week, saying partnerships should deliver investment and fair returns rather than being determined by competition among outside powers.