Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday told African leaders gathered in Moscow that his country has no interest in "neo-colonial exploitation" of the continent, casting Russia as a more reliable partner than Western powers he accused of holding Africa back through debt.

Putin was opening the third Russia-Africa Summit, a two-day meeting attended by delegations from 48 African countries, 22 of them led by heads of state, according to Reuters and AFP. Kenya's President William Ruto is among the leaders in the Russian capital, marking a shift from previous summits where Nairobi was represented at a lower level.

Debt and 'predatory terms'

In his address, Putin said Africa was "increasingly asserting itself as one of the key players in the global economy and politics". Without naming any country, he criticised what he called "active attempts by Western countries" to push African nations into debt and to accept financial aid on predatory terms, which he argued slowed the continent's long-term development.

He also took aim at states he said were still "accustomed to thinking in terms of their colonial past", and told delegates that a multipolar world was emerging despite resistance from those unwilling to accept it.

Putin promised that Russian companies would help process raw materials locally rather than simply buying them, saying this would create jobs and tax revenue on the continent. He offered to share technical know-how, including in digital technology, and backed a bigger African voice in global lenders such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

Grain, fertiliser and security

Russia says it supplied 13 million tonnes of agricultural products to Africa in the first nine months of 2026 and is ready to widen the reach of those shipments. The pledge comes as attacks in the Black Sea continue to disrupt grain exports from both Russia and Ukraine, and as the US-Israel war on Iran has squeezed global fertiliser supplies.

Western critics accuse Moscow of exploiting Africa's colonial history for its own ends while its paramilitary Africa Corps remains active in several countries. Courting the Global South is part of Russia's wider effort to blunt Western pressure over its war in Ukraine.

Ruto's pitch and today's talks

On the sidelines of the summit, Ruto told a Russia-Kenya business roundtable that Africa's pattern of exporting raw materials and importing finished goods was "neither sustainable nor acceptable", urging Russian firms to build factories in Kenya. Bilateral trade stood at about $380 million (about Sh49 billion) in 2025, heavily tilted in Russia's favour: Kenya sold goods worth $52 million, mainly tea, coffee, flowers and fresh produce, while importing $330 million worth of wheat, fertiliser, iron and steel.

Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov has said Putin will meet Ruto on Thursday, after the summit's plenary sessions. Kenyan media expect the talks to touch on trade as well as the fate of Kenyans reportedly lured to Russia with job offers and sent to fight in Ukraine.

Putin is holding one-on-one meetings with a string of African leaders on trade, security, arms deals and grain supplies, and the summit is expected to close with a joint declaration on deeper Russia-Africa cooperation.

Photos: Al Jazeera/AP (Putin at the summit); Dawan Africa (Ruto at the Russia-Kenya business roundtable). Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.