Ruto Entices Russia To New Trade Deal

President William Ruto on Monday, May 29 lamented the low trade between Kenya and Russia despite the huge potential.

The Head of State hosted visiting Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov at State House in Nairobi where it was agreed that Kenya will deepen its relations with Russia to increase trade volumes.

President Ruto announced that the two countries will sign a trade pact that will give businesses the necessary impetus, that is, a free trade deal that will open new opportunities and grow trade to greater heights.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was received by the President of Kenya Dr William Samoei Ruto at State House in Nairobi on Monday, May 29, 2023. /PCS

In addition, the two leaders agreed on the need to reform the United Nations Security Council to make it more representative and more responsive to the needs of the 21st Century.

He was banking on a deep relationship between Russia and Africa to push for amendments to the United Nations Security Council to which Africa lacks a Permanent Representative.

President Ruto said Africa should be represented at the Security Council, the UN’s top decision-making organ, just like other major powers in continents across the world.

“The continent can bring to the table rich ideas, suggestions and experiences that would serve the globe well,” he explained.

Russia is a permanent member of the UN Security Council. Others are the United States, United Kingdom, France and China.

The UN Security Council is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, charged with maintaining international peace and security.

It has 15 members: five permanent members (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) and 10 non-permanent members elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms.

On the raging Russia-Ukraine War, President Ruto reiterated Kenya’s steadfast position on respect for the territorial integrity of member States as outlined in the UN Charter.

“Kenya calls for a resolution of the conflict in a manner respectful to the two parties,” he said.

Lavrov praised the 60 years of friendship between his country and Kenya, saying Russia’s relationship with the continent has new momentum after the 2019 Russia-Africa Summit.

He said scientific cooperation between the two countries has been growing.

Lavrov was in Nairobi on his way to a meeting of the BRICs Ministers of Foreign and International Relations in Cape Town, South Africa. 

He landed in Kenya on Monday, May 29 on a trip whose itinerary was not made public, though he met leaders of the Kenyan parliament and the Foreign Affairs ministry in a significant journey for both Kenya and the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine.