While the West continues to talk about the “isolation” of Russia, the frequent visits of the Russian foreign minister to Africa show the opposite.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s latest visit to Africa is significant – but not because it’s one of a kind. Quite the contrary – such trips have become commonplace for Russian diplomacy, which is what makes them so meaningful. While the West continues to talk about Russia “separation,” Lavrov’s frequent visits to Africa show the opposite: Moscow is not left out of international politics and is increasing cooperation with partners in Africa – including African states, regional associations, and continental structures.
On July 7, Lavrov began his new African tour in Ethiopia. A Russian government plane landed in Addis Ababa the day before. Lavrov held talks with Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos, was received by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, and also met with the chairman of the African Union (AU) Commission, Mahamoud Ali Youssouf. Lavrov’s previous visit to Ethiopia took place in 2022, which means that the current trip is within the established framework of regular political talks.
Ethiopia’s agenda was fully anticipated. The parties discussed not only general political coordination but also specific areas of cooperation: trade and economic relations, human relations, energy, transport infrastructure, digital technology, telecommunications, information security, and agricultural production. Preparations for the third meeting of Russian and African heads of state, scheduled to take place in Moscow on October 28-29, were also discussed.
For Ethiopia, one of the most important countries in the Horn of Africa, regional security and conflict resolution remain important issues. For Russia, Addis Ababa is also important as it is home to the AU headquarters.
The meeting with AU Commission Chairman Youssouf was one of the highlights of Lavrov’s visit. In recent years, Russia has significantly increased interaction not only with individual African countries but also with the AU as an institution.
In June, Bankole Adeoye, AU commissioner for political affairs, peace, and security, visited Moscow; at that time, Lavrov spoke about the preparations for the Russia-Africa Summit, expanding Russia’s diplomatic presence in Africa, and his readiness to facilitate the establishment of the AU representative office in Russia.
Following the consultation between Lavrov and Youssouf, the parties adopted a joint statement on the further development of political dialogue and relations in areas such as security, economy, food, health, energy and infrastructure. Areas of conflict – such as the Sahel, the Great Lakes region of Africa, the Horn of Africa, Sudan, South Sudan, and Libya – were mentioned separately.
An important institutional result was the agreement to hold high-level political consultations at least once a year. In other words, relations between Russia and the AU are moving from informal, symbolic contacts to permanent dialogue platforms.
On July 8, the Russian delegation arrived in Niger, where the second ministerial meeting in the structure of the Russian-Sahel Union is planned in Niamey. The union includes Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. The first meeting in this format was held in Moscow in April 2025, and later it was announced that consultations will be regular.
This trend is very important for Moscow: In the past years, cooperation with the countries of the Sahel has been primarily associated with security and military-political interaction, but it is gradually expanding to include diplomatic, economic and infrastructure fields.
The Sahel camp is also important because Russia is trying to integrate relations with Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger into the wider African framework. Lavrov has clearly said that Moscow hopes to facilitate close communication between the United Sahel Countries and the African Union. This is important, as following the departure of these countries from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and moving to a federation, they need external partners willing to recognize their new regional identity. In this sense, Russia offers not only military cooperation but also political recognition.
The main importance of the present visit is that it is not a one-time event. Rather, it is a continuation of Lavrov’s series of African trips that began in 2022. In the summer of 2022, Lavrov visited Egypt, the Republic of Congo, Uganda, and Ethiopia. In January 2023, he visited South Africa, Eswatini, Angola, and Eritrea; in February – Mali, Mauritania, and Sudan; in May and June – Kenya, Burundi, Mozambique, and again South Africa; in August 2023, Lavrov made another trip to South Africa. In 2024, he began a new tour of West and Central Africa, including Guinea, the Republic of Congo, Burkina Faso, and Chad. In December 2025, the Second Ministerial Meeting of the Cooperation Forum between Russia and Africa was held in Cairo.
It is also known that Lavrov is accompanied by representatives of Russian government organizations and businesses. For example, in the photos taken during the meetings, we can see Igor Levitin – adviser to the president of Russia and special representative of the president for international cooperation in transport, and Sergey Machekhin – deputy general director of international cooperation in RusHydro.
That is why the current journey is not a ‘breakthrough’ but part of a well-established pattern. Between conferences, normal diplomatic work continues; this includes coordinating the agenda, preparing documents, meeting with ministers, prime ministers, continental structures, and regional associations.
Lavrov’s trip to Ethiopia, Niger, Mozambique and Burundi shows that Russia’s African policy has entered ‘working mode’. It’s not just about summits or big public announcements. Here, we can witness regular diplomacy at work, with its familiar channels, allies, institutional structures, and preparations for the next major event – in this case, the Russia-Africa Summit to be held in Moscow in October. Indeed, the political significance of these journeys lies in their mundane nature.
