Putin Tells Africa Russia Is Its Best Partner, and Casts the West as "Colonial" ‎

Russian President Vladimir Putin used the opening of the third Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow on Wednesday to present his country as Africa's best partner. He accused the West of still trying to exploit the continent's resources and of using debt to hold back its development.

The two-day summit brings together government delegations from 48 African countries, including 22 leaders. Many of them will hold one-on-one talks with Putin on trade, security, arms deals and grain supplies.

First held in 2019, the summit is part of Moscow's broader push for political, economic and military influence in Africa.

A multipolar world and "colonial" resistance

Putin said Africa is increasingly asserting itself as a key player in the global economy and politics.

But he argued that a multipolar world faces resistance from countries still thinking in terms of their colonial past and enriching themselves at others' expense.

He also accused Western countries of actively trying to push Africans back into debt bondage. In his telling, they force African states to accept much-needed finance on predatory terms, which slows long-term development.

Russia's offer
Against that picture, Putin pitched Russia as a partner that shares know-how, including digital technology, and localises production instead of simply buying raw materials.

He said Russian business does not engage in neo-colonial exploitation of natural and human resources. According to him, it expands local processing of raw materials, creating jobs and tax revenue.

He listed several other commitments:
Russia supports a bigger African voice in the IMF and World Bank.It is ready for joint transport and agricultural infrastructure projects.About 40,000 Africans are currently studying at Russian universities.

It is prepared to extend grain and fertiliser supplies beyond the 40-plus African countries that already receive them. Russia says it delivered 13 million metric tonnes of agricultural products to Africa in the first nine months of this year.

Analysis
The message is aimed at a real grievance. Many African governments face heavy debt burdens, costly borrowing and unequal terms of trade, and the critique of Western financial institutions resonates widely across the continent. Putin is also speaking to the push for local value addition, which African leaders have long demanded.

Africans should still weigh the offer by what is delivered, not by speeches. Anti-colonial language does not by itself make a partnership equitable. Russia's engagement on the continent runs heavily through security cooperation and arms deals, so the questions are who benefits, on what terms, and with what accountability. The summit's agenda of trade, security and arms sits alongside the development pledges, and the two should be read together.

For African leaders, the sensible path is the one many say they want: diversify partnerships, negotiate hard, and keep sovereignty and local benefit at the centre of every deal, whether it is signed in Moscow, Brussels, Washington, Ankara or Beijing. The real test of Putin's pledges on processing, infrastructure and finance reform will come in the agreements signed this week and in how many of them are implemented.

Mustapha Bature Sallama
Medical/Science communicator, Private Investigator, Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Analysis,United States Institute of Peace (USIP), [email protected] +233555275880

Sources and References
TRT Afrika (28 October 2026). "Russia-Africa summit: Putin says Russia is a better partner to Africa than 'colonial' West." https://www.trtafrika.com/english/article/3c8275dea1fe (the report credits AP as its source).

Associated Press (AP), report on the third Russia-Africa Summit, Moscow, 28 October 2026, as carried by TRT Afrika.