Putin seeks to expand Russian influence in Africa further
At a summit in Moscow, Russia emphasised trade, grain supplies and military cooperation with African countries.
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At a Russian-African summit in Moscow, President Vladimir Putin called for closer ties with African countries. According to news agency AP, almost fifty African countries were represented, including around twenty leaders.
The summit is part of the Kremlin’s attempt to build up Russia’s economic and political influence in Africa. Africa has 54 countries, making it the largest voting bloc within the United Nations. For Russia, the continent is also an arena in which it competes with China, the United States and European countries.
Putin said Russian trade with African countries amounted to more than 27 billion dollars last year. He also pointed to Russian grain and fertiliser supplies. According to the Russian president, Russia supplied more than 18 million tonnes of grain to Africa last year and a further 13 million tonnes in the first nine months of this year.
The figures come from Putin’s speech. His totals do not break down the figures by individual countries, products or contracts. They therefore show how Moscow presents the relationship, but not automatically how large Russia’s share is of total African trade or food supplies.
In the field of security, Putin said Russia has military and military-technical cooperation agreements with 45 African countries. AP also describes the role of Russian military contractors in several countries. The precise scale and nature of that presence varies from country to country and is not summarised in the summit figures.
The development is relevant to Europe because Russian influence in Africa could affect raw materials, migration, security and voting patterns in international organisations. At the same time, the summit is not evidence that all African countries are aligning themselves politically with Moscow. The presence of delegations says little about individual decisions, contracts or voting behaviour.
Also show where in Europe and in the world
Both sides of the figures
▲ Bright spots
- AP reports that Russia emphasised investment in energy, mining, industry and logistics during the summit.
- According to Putin, Russia supplied 13 million tonnes of grain to Africa in the first nine months of the year.
▼ Concerns
- The trade value of more than 27 billion dollars is a Russian figure and is not independently broken down in the AP article.
- SIPRI reports that China supplied 26 per cent of major-arms imports by West African states in 2020–2024, but that share in itself does not show how large Russian influence there is.
Critical note
The figures measure different things: Russian claims about trade and supplies versus SIPRI’s volume indicator for arms transfers. They do not directly say how many African households or businesses benefit from this.
Who notices what
- Businesses
- New Russian contracts could create opportunities in energy, mining and logistics, but sanctions and geopolitical risks make financing and trade more difficult.
- Government
- European governments face competition for diplomatic, economic and security influence.
- Households
- Grain supplies may be relevant to food markets, but the totals cited do not show what effect they have on prices in African countries.
Every point comes from the article’s sources and was included in the fact check.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Russia organised a summit with African delegations in Moscow.
- Putin presented trade, grain supplies and security cooperation as pillars of the relationship.
- Russia competes in Africa with China, the United States and Europe.
Left
Arguments Emphasises that African countries are seeking room not to depend on a single power bloc, and that trade and food supplies cannot be separated from human rights and security.
Values Equality, international solidarity and the protection of civilians.
Consequences Fears that military cooperation and Russian contractors will strengthen authoritarian regimes and prolong conflicts.
Centre
Arguments Emphasises that European countries should improve their own economic and diplomatic offering without forcing African governments to choose a bloc.
Values Strategic autonomy, multilateralism and practical cooperation.
Consequences Wants competition for influence to be translated into transparent trade and security agreements, with oversight of the consequences.
Right
Arguments Emphasises that Russia is trying to expand its influence and that Europe should defend its strategic interests more actively.
Values National security, geopolitical resilience and the protection of trade routes.
Consequences Fears the loss of access to raw materials, diplomatic support and security influence if Europe remains on the sidelines.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The current summit, the presence of delegations and the figures cited by Putin can be found in AP’s report. The text explicitly notes that the figures come from Russian statements and draws no conclusion about the political loyalty of African countries.
- confirmed Almost fifty African countries were represented at the summit and around twenty leaders were present. — AP reports these figures. source
- confirmed Putin said trade with Africa exceeded 27 billion dollars last year. — AP quotes this statement by Putin. source
- confirmed Russia has military cooperation agreements with 45 African countries. — AP mentions this claim by Putin. source
- confirmed China was the largest supplier of major arms to West Africa in 2020–2024, with 26 per cent. — SIPRI reports this for the countries and period examined. source
Editor's note
The summit and Russian statements are current and have been described by AP. The trade, grain and security claims are presented mainly as Russia’s account; an independent breakdown by country is lacking.Sources
More on this in Dutch media
- Het Parool — „rusland afrika”
- Trouw — „rusland afrika”
- NRC — „rusland afrika”