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President Vladimir Putin told African leaders on Wednesday at the third Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow that Russia stands as their best international partner.
Speaking to delegations from 48 countries, including 22 individual heads of state, Putin accused Western nations of exploiting Africa’s natural resources and using predatory debt to block long-term growth.
Addressing the summit, Putin stated, “Africa is increasingly asserting itself as one of the key players in the global economy and politics.
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However, the emergence of a multipolar world is, of course, no easy task; it faces resistance from countries that are not prepared to accept this reality: those who are accustomed to thinking in terms of their colonial past and to enriching themselves fabulously.”
Putin accused Western countries of using active tactics to push African nations into debt bondage through conditional financial aid.
By contrast, he assured the summit that Russia offers genuine collaboration by sharing digital technology, localising industrial production, creating jobs, and boosting local tax revenues rather than merely extracting raw materials.
He also pledged to support greater African representation in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, while promising joint infrastructure projects and direct deliveries of Russian grain and fertiliser.
Supporting Russia’s message, Burkina Faso Prime Minister Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouedraogo praised the partnership on Russian state media, contrasting it with former colonial rule: “This is completely different from what we had with imperialist France.”
The two-day Moscow summit forms a major part of Russia’s effort to expand its political, economic, and military footprint across the continent while counterbalancing Western pressure over its war in Ukraine.
