Russia imported about US$240 billion worth of goods in 2025, ranging from selected agricultural products, cars, machinery, electronics, and high-tech goods. The Russian consumer market is also changing in light of new preferences and tastes created by its move into new markets in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America.
Master market entry into Russia. Get practical guides on import regulations, customs clearance, and distribution channels. Essential for international businesses targeting the Russian market.
The Russian and Japanese Foreign Ministers have met in the United States at the request of Japan, the second meeting in two months. Coming after Russian President Putin spoke with the Prime Ministers of Finland and Norway last week, there appears to be a new trend of Russia’s neighbours wanting to discuss political issues, suggesting that new regional security protocols are being considered.
Russia has signed a Joint Development Action Plan with the Southern African Development Community. The SADC has a collective population of about 406 million, a combined GDP (PPP) of US$2.62 trillion, and a projected combined 2026 GDP growth rate of 3.2%, according to the IMF. Current bilateral trade with these 16 southern African nations is just a collective US$2 billion per annum, however the Action Plan contains development programmes to substantially improve this. We examine the plan and look into the implications. This article is of substantial interest to anyone in the Russia-Southern Africa trade and development sector.
The Russian President, Vladimir Putin has met with John Dramani Mahama, the President of Ghana during the 2026 Russia-Africa Summit. Bilateral trade has grown by 6% this year. We deep-dive the bilateral relationship, examining port and rail infrastructure developments, mining, nuclear power, agriculture, regional security and student exchanges.
The 2026 Russia-Africa Summit has concluded in Moscow, with 22 African Heads of State and delegations from 48 African countries attending. We outline the key discussions, on-going negotiations and investment plans being made in agriculture, LNG, nuclear power, mining, finance, communications, public health and foreign policy strategy. It is essential reading for anyone involved in Russia and African geopolitical and trade development.
Russian President Putin has met with Madagascar President Michael Randrianirina in Moscow as part of the 2026 Russia-Africa Summit. The two sides are discussing an upcoming partnership agreement, while agricultural trade is booming and grew by 80% in the first nine months of 2026. We examine the current bilateral trade and investment trends.
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Algeria is Russia’s second largest trade partner in Africa, and a partner state with the BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. Bilateral trade is up 20% this year with a target to reach US$10 billion by 2030. We examine the bilateral trade and investment development trends.
Russian President Putin has given the Penary Speech at the 2026 Russia-Africa Summit, at which 46 African government and business delegations are attending. Putin called for more commerce and investment in Africa, noting that trade with Russia had risen by 50% over the past three years. We examine the key points in his comments.
The director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department of Partnership with Africa, Tatyana Dovgalenko, has been meeting with the Economic Ministers of the Sahel countries – Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. She said that the common tasks for the countries at present are stimulating investment growth and launching infrastructure initiatives in line with the needs of the Alliance of Sahel States countries in the energy, agriculture, logistics and extractive industries.
The Russian State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin has met with the speaker of the Lok Sabha (Indian Parliament) Om Birla, in New Delhi. The two discussed bilateral parliamentary and legal links as well as bilateral trade, with Volodin saying that Russia-India trade had risen 24.3% in the first seven months of 2026.
The 2026 AgroProdMash event has recently taken place in Moscow, part of an aggressive overhaul of Russia’s food processing industry, involving technical re-equipment, modernizing food plants, and scaling up processing capabilities. There are opportunities for foreign suppliers to participate in this sector as Russia intends to increase agricultural production by 25% and boost agricultural exports by 1.5 times by 2030. We showcase the event and provide analysis and detail the agreements reached.
Russia is continuing to discuss visa-free travel for Bahrain and Kuwait nationals. This is already in effect with Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Mutual tourism between Bahrain, Kuwait and Russia has been increasing.
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