Russia and Africa can work together to protect national sovereignty and put an end to colonialism, Russian President Vladimir Putin told African delegates at the 2023 Africa-Russia summit in St. Petersburg.

Speaking at the event’s plenary session, alongside the heads of state of Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Uganda, the Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Eritrea and Guinea-Bissau, Putin said that Africa is “becoming a new centre of power,” and claimed that Moscow has “invariably provided support during the African countries’ difficult fight against colonialism.”

The meeting, the second of its kind after the inaugural Africa-Russia summit in 2019, is a two-day event designed by Moscow to boost its relations with the African continent, amidst ever-growing pressure from Western sanctions. As part of the summit, Russia discussed issues such as national security, bilateral trade and the exchange of technology with 49 different delegations. In the West, many nations see the meeting as Moscow’s ploy to gain further support for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Russia has traditionally had supporters in Africa due to the work of the Soviet Union on the continent. Moscow started to take a deep interest in the continent during the period of decolonisation in the 1950s, when it offered aid and weapons to curry favour with local politicians and take advantage of the region’s negative view towards the West.

According to Putin, the relationship that was founded “in the mid-20th century during the struggle of the African continent’s peoples for their freedom” is still important today.

“Importantly, Russia and Africa share the inherent commitment to standing up for genuine sovereignty and the right to follow their own unique development path in the political, economic, social, cultural and other areas,” Putin stated.