Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has regularly announced the formation of a new world order that eliminates the American monopoly on geopolitical decision-making. Putin sees the Global South as the main partner in the implementation of such ambitions – another geopolitical concept that has become significantly updated in recent years.
On July 27-28, St. Petersburg hosts the Russia-Africa summit, which is positioned by Moscow as the largest platform for building strong relations with the African continent. At the same time, despite regular curtsies towards Africa and visits by high-ranking Russian officials, Russia’s position on the continent looks less optimistic.
Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said that only 17 out of 55 African countries would be represented at the level of heads of state. Delegations from ten African countries will be led by prime ministers. Almost half of the summit participants sent delegations at a lower level. Seventeen of them are headed by vice-premiers and ministers, five will be represented by ambassadors, five more refused to participate in the event.
In addition, an analysis of Russia’s positions on the African continent demonstrates that Moscow can boast of strong relations with only a few states. The rest prefer to create situational alliances or distance themselves from Russia in public.
In the near future, Ascolta will present an analytical report that will describe in detail the influence of Russia and China on Africa, as well as the main aspects of the confrontation between Moscow and Beijing in this region.
