Russia-South Africa Relations Strengthen as Putin and Ramaphosa Discuss BRICS and Africa Cooperation

Dragon Media News Desk

Russian President Vladimir Putin and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa met in New Delhi on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit to discuss bilateral relations, trade, education, international coordination and future Russia-Africa cooperation. Putin said relations between Russia and South Africa were developing successfully and noted that political contacts and government-level exchanges between the two countries remained regular and active.

Putin recalled that he and Ramaphosa had previously met during the BRICS Summit in Kazan and said the two sides had remained in constant contact since then. He also referred to discussions held last year with South Africa’s vice president during the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, where the two sides compared positions on a wide range of international and regional issues. According to Putin, political dialogue, inter-parliamentary ties and contacts between the two foreign ministries continue to develop steadily.

The Russian president highlighted the 20th anniversary of the Treaty on Friendship and Partnership between Russia and South Africa, signed in 2006, describing it as an important foundation of bilateral relations. He said trade was not expanding rapidly but continued to grow and remained at a solid level. Putin also suggested that both countries had room to diversify economic cooperation and explore new areas beyond their traditional fields of engagement.

Education and human-resource development were also identified as important areas of long-term cooperation. Putin said Russia had increased the state scholarship quota for South African students to 100 places for the 2026-27 academic year. The move is expected to support closer ties in education, technical training and cultural exchange while strengthening institutional links between the two countries.

Putin said Russia and South Africa hold similar approaches on a number of key international and regional issues and thanked Pretoria for supporting Russian initiatives at the United Nations. Coordination between the two countries in BRICS, the UN and other multilateral institutions is likely to remain important in discussions on the Global South, multipolarity and reform of international governance.

The Russian president also placed relations with South Africa within Moscow’s broader Africa policy. He said preparations were underway for the Third Russia-Africa Summit, scheduled to be held in Moscow on October 28 and 29. According to Putin, the summit will focus on areas including digital technologies, artificial intelligence, peaceful applications of advanced technologies, food security and long-term development cooperation.

Putin said Russia expected a high-level South African delegation to attend the summit. The New Delhi meeting therefore highlighted not only political coordination within BRICS but also the broader expansion of Russia-South Africa ties in education, trade, technology and Africa-focused multilateral cooperation.