A two-day summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and African leaders is set to begin on Thursday in St. Petersburg. The summit aims to strengthen ties between Russia and the African continent, which comprises 1.3 billion people and is gaining increasing prominence on the global stage.
Ahead of the summit, President Putin met with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and announced that Russia would significantly increase the number of Ethiopian students hosted in the country, covering their education expenses.
Later in the day, Putin is scheduled to hold talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.
Africa’s 54 nations hold the largest voting bloc at the United Nations, but they have been divided on resolutions condemning Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
The second Russia-Africa summit, following the 2019 edition, will see the participation of 17 heads of state, a decrease from the 43 leaders who attended the previous summit. The Kremlin attributed the decline to alleged Western pressure aimed at dissuading African nations from participating in the event.
