Russian President Vladimir Putin will host Togo’s President Faure Gnassingbé at the Kremlin on Wednesday for talks aimed at deepening relations between Moscow and the small West African nation.
- Russian President Putin hosts Togo’s President Gnassingbé to deepen bilateral relations.
- Discussions focus on peace, security, development, and sectoral cooperation.
- Leaders plan to address global issues like regional security and climate change.
- Russia actively expands its influence across Africa, including its ties with Togo.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will host Togo’s President Faure Gnassingbé at the Kremlin on Wednesday for talks aimed at deepening relations between Moscow and the small phosphate-producing West African nation.
Gnassingbé, whose family has ruled Togo since 1967, accepted Putin’s invitation to visit, according to a statement from Lomé.
Talks will centre on strengthening cooperation in peace, security, development and expanding ties across diplomacy, trade, agriculture, energy, education and food security.
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The leaders will also address international issues of mutual concern, including regional security, climate change and progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Russia has been expanding its influence across Africa in recent years, including in Angola, the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Madagascar, Mali and Mozambique, an assertive push that has raised concerns in Western Europe and the United States.
Moscow has long signalled interest in Togo, notably through the June 2018 visit of Mikhail Bogdanov, President Putin’s special representative for Africa.
Bilateral cooperation has expanded since then, with education and training emerging as a key pillar; Russia now awards scholarships to Togolese students annually, rising to 86 for the 2024–2025 academic year from about ten just two years earlier.
On security, ties deepened further when Moscow ratified a military cooperation agreement in October 2025 that covers joint exercises, training, intelligence sharing and emergency medical support.
On the economic front, Togo already imports Russian grain, and Moscow remains a major force in the global fertiliser market, standing as the world’s second-largest producer after China and its largest exporter.
