Russia and Africa: More than economic cooperation

Editor's note: Nikola Mikovic, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is a freelance journalist in Serbia. He covers mostly Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian foreign policy issues and writes for multiple web magazines. The article reflects the author's opinions, and not necessarily those of CGTN.

While the United States and its allies continue attempting to isolate Russia in the international arena, Moscow seeks to increase its presence in Africa – a continent that some authors see as the "rising star of the 21st century." Even though the West is reportedly pressuring African nations to give up on their aspirations to develop close economic and political ties with the Kremlin, in the foreseeable future Russia could make a diplomatic breakthrough in this part of the world.

In the coming months, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Moscow will supply African countries with 25,000-50,000 tons of grain free of charge. Such a move is a clear signal that Russia plans to strengthen its ties with Africa. Indeed, various countries in the Global South were worried after Moscow suspended its participation in the Black Sea Initiative (also known as the grain deal) – signed in July 2022 by Russia, Türkiye, Ukraine, and the United Nations – especially given reports that the Kremlin's decision may hit nations that are already facing extreme hunger.

Putin, however, claims that the grain deal failed to serve its original humanitarian purpose, arguing that 70 percent of the Ukrainian grain exports ended up in high and upper-middle-income countries.

On July 27, the Kremlin held the Second Summit Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum in Saint Petersburg. Even though some African leaders decided to stay away from the event – be it as a result of the Western pressure, or for some other reasons – Russia used the summit to strengthen its positions in countries that it perceives as friendly.

"In our country, you find yourselves among friends and like-minded people," Putin emphasized, while Patriarch Kiril of Russian Orthodox Church, who also attended the summit, emphasized that Russia and Africa both share traditional values, as well as a conservative view of human nature.

In other words, Russia seeks room to expand its cultural, political, and economic presence in Africa. It is, therefore, not surprising that Putin wrote an article on Africa prior to the summit in Saint Petersburg, and that cooperation with African nations represents one of top priorities in Russian foreign policy.

Indeed, the fact that Moscow proposed a common information space with Africa indicates that Russia seeks to create a counterbalance to the Western media operating in the continent. But the West is unlikely to easily give up on its influence in Africa. Instead, it will almost certainly pressure African nations not to start any form of cooperation with the Russian media. The Kremlin, on the other hand, will likely seek to establish close economic relations with some African countries. Now that the grain deal is dead, Moscow may attempt to improve its positions in the region.

"Russia can replace Ukrainian grain, both on a commercial basis and as grant aid to the neediest African countries, more so since we expect another record harvest this year," Putin said, pointing out that his country is still a reliable supplier of food to Africa.

Many African nations, on the other hand, see Russia not only as an important economic partner, but also as a counterbalance to the Western countries' – many of them being colonial powers in the region – presence in Africa. That is why they seek to develop further cooperation with Moscow. For instance, Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni discussed with Putin the possibility of developing a regional hub in the African nation for the maintenance of military equipment, including aircraft.

The West, on the other hand, will almost certainly seek to preserve its influence in those places that could potentially lean towards Russia. As a result, Moscow may have a hard time achieving some of its ambitious goals in Africa.

It is not a secret that the Kremlin is interested in a better connection with the continent. According to Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, Moscow will work on the launch of direct flights to the maximum number of African countries. But the problem for Russia is that it does not border any of them, which means that its air cooperation with Africa depends on Turkish goodwill, since Russian flights would have to go through Turkish airspace. Given complex relations between Moscow and Ankara, the Kremlin would likely have to make significant concessions to its Turkish partners in order to get the green light to use Türkiye's airspace.

More importantly, the West can always pressure African nations not to get involved in such cooperation with Moscow. But Russia plans to launch initiatives to help Africa with "sovereign development," including access to food, fertilizers, modern technologies and energy, which means that the Kremlin remains determined to defy Western ambitions to crowd Moscow out of the continent.

Thus, in the coming months and years, Africa may become a place where Russia and the Western powers could compete.

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