Russia: Active Negotiations with African Countries on Joint Production of Raw Materials

Kremlin spokesman: The Russian Federation is not an isolated state

Aleksej Likhachev

Russia is negotiating with a number of African countries on joint exploration and exploitation of lithium and uranium deposits. According to Alexei Likhachev (pictured), CEO of the Russian state nuclear energy company Rosatom, “Russia is developing cooperation with a number of African countries with which it has signed memorandums of understanding and agreements on cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy. Negotiations are underway for Russian access to its lithium and uranium deposits.”

Likhachev’s statements followed a press conference in Moscow during which Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that despite Western policies, Russia “is by no means an isolated state.” According to Peskov, “Russia is an integral part of international dialog, as it maintains relations based on mutual respect and international law, not on the rules set by individual states,” Peskov added. Such an approach, the official said, “is supported by the vast majority of nations in the world.”

The words of the Kremlin representative refer to the BRICS maxi-summit, which will be held in Kazan from October 22 to 24. In this context, Peskov stressed that within the BRICS dialog “no one is trying to take dominant positions and impose their will on others.”