Russia’s Putin woos African leaders at summit, slams ‘colonial’ West

Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted the third Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow on October 28-29, 2026, aiming to expand economic, military, and political ties with Africa. The summit brought together delegations from 48 African countries and featured one-on-one talks between Putin and 22 attending leaders. Topics included trade, security, arms contracts, and grain supplies. Putin accused the West of retaining a colonial mindset aimed at exploiting Africa’s natural wealth and suppressing its development through debt. Meanwhile, experts like Beverly Ochieng from Control Risks noted that Western countries still dominate in strategic sectors despite declining political presence. The summit also highlighted Russia's growing influence in northern African nations such as Egypt and Algeria, with Moscow pushing forward deals like the proposed petroleum-products pipeline in Congo where Russian interests would control 90% of a joint venture for 25 years.