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Moscow: US putting 'unprecedented' pressure on African countries to disrupt Russia-Africa relations

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov

Moscow says Washington is putting "unprecedented pressure" on African countries to disrupt the existing relations between Russia and Africa.

Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov made the remark on Saturday, reiterating Moscow's previous assertions that the "collective West" is staging a campaign to isolate Russia.

"The United States and its allies are conducting an unprecedented campaign for the political and economic isolation of Russia," Bogdanov was quoted by the Russian TASS news agency as saying.

According to the diplomat, the Western countries embarked on the isolation campaign after Russia began its ongoing "special  military operation" in neighboring Ukraine last February.

"Since the beginning of the special military operation, the collective West has significantly increased pressure on African countries through threats of imposing sanctions, [and] termination of financial and humanitarian aid," Bogdanov said.

As part of the campaign, he said, the West has been trying to disrupt the second Russia-Africa summit, which is slated to be held in St. Petersburg in July, hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The West's anti-Russia bid comes as Moscow has been trying to forge closer ties with African countries.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov went on a tour of Africa last year, and has visited the continent twice since then.

Visiting Mali earlier this month, Lavrov condemned Western countries for their failure to get rid of their "neocolonial instincts" yet, urging them to be rather "aware of the reality of the modern world and the need to be more modest."


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