Vladimir Putin seeks to secure his African allies. This Sunday, he promised a “ full support » from Moscow to African countries, during a Russia-Africa ministerial conference in Sochi (southwest Russia).
« Our country will continue to provide its full support to our African friends in different areas “, declared Vladimir Putin in an address, read by his head of diplomacy Sergei Lavrov to the conference participants.
It could be “ sustainable development, the fight against terrorism and extremism, epidemic diseases, the resolution of food problems or the consequences of natural disasters », According to the same source.
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This conference, organized with senior officials from African countries on Saturday and Sunday on the shores of the Black Sea, follows two Russia-Africa summits, which took place in 2019 (Sochi) and 2023 (Saint Petersburg). According to Sergei Lavrov, thanks to “ rhythm that was given “Through these two summits, Russian-African relations are strengthening” more and more ». « We see progress in all areas » of cooperation, he welcomed.
Russia wants to ensure the support of its allies
With this conference in Sochi, the Kremlin intends to provide a new illustration of “ multipolar world » which he wants to promote in his face-to-face with Westerners.
It comes after the Brics summit in October in Kazan (Russia), where Vladimir Putin wanted to demonstrate the failure of the policy of isolation and sanctions initiated against his country by Western countries after the Russian assault in Ukraine in February 2022.
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For several years, Russia, which was a key player in Africa during the Soviet era, has been pushing its pawns into African countries where Russian rhetoric against ” neocolonialism (and for) a fairer world order » resonates with a large number of African leaders.
The war in Ukraine still rages
All these outstretched hands must be seen in light of Russia's position in the world. Following the invasion of Ukraine, Moscow alienated Europe and the United States. The Kremlin is therefore looking for new allies while the war still rages two years after the start of the conflict.
Russia reports shooting down Ukrainian drones over its territory almost daily. For his part, kyiv says it is carrying out its strikes on Russia, which usually mainly target energy sites, in response to the deadly Russian bombings which have destroyed its infrastructure and devastated its cities since Vladimir Putin launched the large-scale assault on Ukraine. in February 2022.
Moreover, this Sunday,he Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Telegram that it had “ foiled an attempted terrorist attack by the kyiv regime », destroying a total of 70 drones in the morning, including 34 in the Moscow region. The others were shot in the Moscow-bordering regions of Kaluga (7) and Tula (2), and in three border regions of Ukraine: Bryansk (14), Oriol (7), Kursk (6). This operation in the suburbs of Moscow comes four days after a massive Russian drone attack on the Ukrainian capital, targeted almost daily for a month.
(With AFP)
