The key facts

  • Putin invited African airlines to open flights to Russia at the Russia–Africa forum in Moscow
  • Russia–Africa trade turnover last year exceeded $27 billion, up from $18 billion in 2022; Putin suggested it could grow to $50 billion
  • Russia is involved in more than 30 energy projects in 16 African countries

An invitation to fly and logistics

Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking at the plenary session of the Russia–Africa forum in Moscow, invited African airlines to begin flights to Russia, Anadolu reports. According to him, Russia is ready to expand cooperation with African countries in trade, energy, pharmaceuticals and transport, and is offering its partners “comprehensive solutions for building reliable logistics routes” that affect the growth of trade and investment.

Figures and stated plans

Putin cited trade turnover figures: last year it exceeded $27 billion, up from $18 billion in 2022, and, in his words, in the near future it could at least double and surpass the $50 billion mark. He also stated that Russia is involved in more than 30 promising energy projects in 16 African countries. In addition to air services, Russia, he said, could provide design, construction and modernization services for railways and highways, sea routes and transport hubs, equipping them with digital systems for management, tracking and customs clearance. In pharmaceuticals, Russia plans to localize the production of medicines and vaccines in Africa, as well as to establish laboratories and diagnostic centers.

Political context

Putin described the growing influence of African countries on the international stage as part of a shift toward a more just multipolar world and said that Russia and African states have jointly laid the foundations of a more just international order. He recalled Moscow's historical support for African liberation movements, economic development and the formation of national armed forces. He criticized Western attempts to draw African countries into a “debt trap,” calling tariff wars and sanctions “instruments of neocolonialism,” and called for changing the way the IMF and the World Bank operate, reorienting them toward the needs of developing economies. The forum is taking place as part of the two-day Russia–Africa summit — the third since 2019; on Wednesday Putin also met at the Kremlin with the heads of African regional organizations and visited an exhibition organized as part of the summit. All the figures and assessments cited are statements by the Russian side at the forum, not independent data.