One-on-one talks at the Moscow summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin opened the third Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow on Wednesday, pitching his country to African leaders and government delegates gathered for the two-day event. Delegations from 48 countries are attending, and Putin is set to hold one-on-one talks with many of the 22 individual African leaders present, covering trade, security, arms deals and grain supplies.

• •First held in 2019, the summit is part of a concerted push for Russian political, economic and military influence in Africa
• •Talks on the agenda span trade, security, arms and grain supplies to Africa

A 'colonial West' and denied exploitation

In his speech, Putin accused unnamed Western countries of still trying to exploit the continent's resources and of using debt to hold back its development, casting the West as colonial in its approach. The emergence of a multipolar world, he said, faces resistance from countries still thinking in terms of their colonial past.

He rejected the idea that Russia itself profits at Africa's expense: "Our business does not engage in the predatory, neo-colonial exploitation of natural and human resources".

What Russia offered: grain, banks and students

Putin paired the rhetoric with concrete offers.

• •Greater African influence in the IMF and World Bank, which he said Russia champions
• •Joint transport and agricultural infrastructure projects
• •Grain and fertiliser supplies to more than the 40 African countries which currently get them

Russia, according to Putin, had supplied 13 million metric tonnes of agricultural products to Africa in the first nine months of this year. He also noted a record number of Africans - around 40,000 - are currently studying at Russian universities.

Arms, Africa Corps and the Ukraine context

The summit sits within a broader contest for Russian influence in Africa. Paramilitary fighters from Russia's Africa Corps remain active on the continent, and Russian state companies seek interests ranging from mining to power generation. Western governments accuse those Russian paramilitary forces of propping up military juntas, such as the one in Mali, to expand Moscow's reach and squeeze out France - claims Moscow rejects.

The courtship of African leaders and the Global South also forms part of Moscow's effort to counterbalance Western pressure on the world stage over Russia's war in Ukraine.

The two-day summit continues in Moscow, with Putin holding one-on-one talks with many of the 22 attending African leaders.