Mali-Russia: Assimi Goïta and Vladimir Putin strengthen their strategic partnership

On the sidelines of the 3rd Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow, Assimi Goïta met Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on October 30 to discuss expanding Mali-Russia cooperation in energy, training and security. Putin announced that the quota of scholarships for Malian students would rise to 300 for the 2026-2027 academic year and recalled that the bilateral framework agreement entered into force in May. Goïta wants to extend cooperation to solar power, civilian nuclear energy, electricity grids and technical training, and to secure technology transfers to process Mali’s mineral resources locally. He praised Russian partner forces’ support in the fight against terrorism and called for closer cooperation on intelligence, territorial surveillance and cybersecurity.