Attendance at Russia-Africa summit

The second Russia-Africa summit (27 28 July 2023) gathered 49 of the 55 African Union’s members. Of these, 17 were represented by their Head of State, a significantly lower number than at the first summit (Sochi, 2019). Cooperation on trade and economy, the environment, science and technology was enhanced through the Russia Africa Partnership Forum. In the security area, participants adopted declarations on preventing an arms race in outer space, ensuring international information security, and on the establishment of a joint security mechanism aimed at combating terrorism in Africa. Several military and business deals were also announced. Some African leaders voiced their concerns about the effects of the war in Ukraine on their economies. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected their request to extend the Black Sea Grain initiative, which would ensure safe corridors for grain exports, and instead offered to donate grain to a number of countries. Putin also dismissed an African proposed peace plan for Ukraine as ‘hard to implement’. He did not condemn the military coups in West Africa, in contrast to the African Union’s position.