African heads of state are led by the chair of the African Union (AU), Evariste Ndayishimiye. The significant attendance is also a clear rejection of Western pressure on African states to shun the invitation to attend the summit.
Among the more than 15 leaders attending the summit are, among others, heads of State of Kenya, Namibia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Egypt, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia and the Comoros. So far, 48 countries are participating in the summit.
That said, life in Moscow appears perfectly normal, almost disaffected by the much-publicised conflict. Public transport system – busses, trains and taxis as well as private vehicles drive around without notably excessive police presence. Neither do alarms go off, or public warnings about imminent danger. Night life is also visibly in overdrive, with supermarkets, hotels and places of entertainment operating normally.
The high-level Summit thus belies the fact of the ongoing conflict between Russia and neighbouring Ukraine, which has been raging on for four years.
However, the Russia-Africa summit also takes place as the light at the end of tunnel for a truce in the war appears imminent. The Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has announced that leaders of Russia, Ukraine and the US are scheduled to hold trilateral negotiations about “mutual security guarantees” in Abu Dhabi in the coming days.
Day one of the two-days summit opened with discussions around mutual issues of interest such as economic partnerships, AI, agriculture, healthcare and education. There were also subsequent sessions on energy, mining and strategic cooperation through BRICS, which has an alternative lending financial vehicle in the New Development Bank, also known as the BRICS Bank.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was also a busy-bee on the day, hosting an evening reception at the Kremlin for summit participants. In addition, he held separate bilateral meetings with the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Republic of Congo President Denis Sassou.
One of the envisaged outcomes of the summit is to produce a cooperation plan for 2027-2029 as well as agreements including trade, investment and technological development.
The summit also happens as African governments increasingly seek a greater role in international affairs, such as the reform of the UN Security Council and the UN system overall.
Africa needs to also speak as one as the continent aligns with strategic allies such as Russia. A pushback against the spate of unilateralism remains one of the Africa and the Global South as a return to the principles of the UN founding charter of multilateralism is brought back to the heart of international relations.
