The meeting between Vladimir Putin and Cyril Ramaphosa took place on September 11, 2026, in New Delhi on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit.
During the talks, Vladimir Putin noted that relations between Russia and South Africa were developing successfully. Trade between the two countries was growing, although not at a “breakneck pace,” and remained at a good level.
Ramaphosa expressed hope for an expansion of trade across a wide range of sectors and thanked Russia for its support of South Africa’s G20 presidency. Putin, in turn, thanked South Africa for supporting Russian initiatives at the United Nations and noted the two countries’ common approaches to key international and regional issues.
The high-level delegations at the talks demonstrated the status and level of the dialogue.
The meeting was attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov, Russian Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov, Russian Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov, Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev, Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) CEO Kirill Dmitriev, and others.
Putin invited South Africa to participate in the third Russia–Africa Summit, which will be held in Moscow on October 28–29. The forum’s priority topics will include digital technologies, artificial intelligence, peaceful nuclear energy, independent payment systems, and food security. Ramaphosa pledged that South Africa would be represented at the forum by a high-level delegation.
It is worth recalling that on September 5, Russia and South Africa marked the 20th anniversary of the Treaty of Friendship and Partnership, signed in 2006.
On the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, Putin personally invited Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. Moscow is also awaiting written confirmation from Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno.
The third Russia–Africa Summit will be held in Moscow on October 28–29, 2026. The agenda and final list of delegations will be approved by the Kremlin and the Russian Foreign Ministry. More than 30 of the 54 African countries have confirmed their participation, according to Anatoly Bashkin, Director of the Department of Africa (Sub-Saharan Africa) at the Russian Foreign Ministry. He added that the number of countries prepared to attend is growing every day.
As part of the upcoming summit, the Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum will be held as a platform for business contacts. The event is expected to result in a new Russia–Africa Partnership Action Plan for 2027–2029.