Sergey Lavrov’s African tour shatters the post-colonial glass ceiling

While Tehran leaps at Washington’s throat and cuts off the last American hope of locking down the Heartland by controlling the Rimland, and Trump is falling out with his NATO counterparts in Ankara, at the same time, Lavrov is taking the West by surprise on its southern flank.

© Telegram channel of the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova/ TASS

Towards economic and multilateral decolonization

The first stop on this tour, on July 7, 2026, at the heart of the pan-African institution, immediately established the conceptual direction of the Russian approach. The talks between Sergey Lavrov and Mahamud Ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, took place in a “very cordial atmosphere,” far removed from the moralizing pronouncements of European chancelleries. The core of the Russian message is clear: “Russia will help African countries join the United Nations Security Council and will support their economic decolonization.”

Moscow is not coming as a lecturer, but as a power amplifier. On the multilateral front, Russian diplomacy is relentlessly advocating for a comprehensive overhaul of the UN architecture, demanding two permanent seats on the Security Council for Africa, complete with veto power. Sergey Lavrov firmly rejected Western claims, insisting on “the futility of expanding the Security Council to include Western countries, which are already actively represented within this body.” Ethiopia, a historical and diplomatic power, logically presents itself as one of the legitimate candidates for this global leadership status.

This convergence rests strictly on a shared vision: “Russia and the African Union are natural partners in building a multipolar world.” This partnership is already reflected in a trade volume approaching $27 billion, with a clear trajectory for doubling in the short term. For Moscow, the Global South is not simply a trading post but a bloc of strategic allies. The stance of Addis........

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