Ties with Africa are a “priority” for Moscow, Putin says, in a bid to evade sanctions

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he gives a “priority” to relations with African countries, as Moscow was looking for new partners in the face of international sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“I want to emphasize that our country has always given and will continue to give priority to co-operation with African states,” Putin said in Moscow during a speech to African representatives on Monday (20 March). Speaking to more than 40 delegations from African countries at a conference on Russian-African relations, the Russian leader also said that his country will supply foods to needy countries in Africa free of charge if an agreement on Ukrainian grain exports is not renewed. “We are ready to supply the whole volume sent during the past time to African countries particularly requiring it from Russia free of charge to these countries,” Putin was reported as saying. He also sought to assure that the 2nd Russia-Africa Summit to be held in July in St.Petersburg will be prepared “very seriously” and invited African leaders and regional organizations to take part.
Against the backdrop of Western sanctions, Moscow is currently seeking support in Africa and Asia, where many states have not openly condemned the Russian military intervention. Russia had already multiplied initiatives on the African continent in recent years, including numerous economic and military partnerships, such as one involving the Russian paramilitary group Wagner. In recent years, Moscow has clearly expanded its influence in Africa more than any other external actor. These engagements extend from deepening ties in North Africa, expanding its reach in the Central African Republic and the Sahel, and rekindling Cold War ties in southern Africa. But Russia has also been criticized for “systematically (seeking) to undercut democracy in Africa, both to normalize authoritarianism as well as to create an entry point for Russian influence,” according to Joseph Siegle, an expert from the Africa Center for Strategic Studies.