Africa: Russia-Africa Summit to Test Moscow's Ambitions for Broader Influence

The third Russia-Africa summit since 2019 opened in Moscow on Wednesday for two days, as Russia seeks to expand its influence on the continent despite sanctions over its offensive in Ukraine. Forty-eight African countries sent delegations, including 22 heads of state, and Vladimir Putin plans one-on-one meetings with most of them. Cécile Marin, a specialist in Russian-African relations at Sciences Po Paris, said Moscow promotes a narrative denouncing Western neocolonialism, particularly that of France, and emphasizes traditional values it claims to share with Africa. Putin said the era when a small bloc of states determined the fate of entire continents was over.