Russian President Vladimir Putin courted dozens of African leaders gathered in the Kremlin to strengthen Moscow’s influence across the continent. He portrayed Russia and Africa as natural allies in building a multipolar world order based on international law and respect for the UN Charter. Nearly 50 African countries attended the summit, including about 20 represented by their leaders, who called for permanent African representation on the UN Security Council. Putin said Russian trade with Africa exceeded $27 billion last year, while Russia delivered more than 18 million metric tons of grain to the continent. Moscow also expanded military, energy, industrial, logistics, educational and health cooperation as it competes with the United States, Europe and China for greater influence in Africa.
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