On the Russian side the meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Maxim Oreshkin, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office – Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov, Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov, Minister of Industry and Trade Anton Alikhanov, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Russian Co-Chair of the Russia-Zimbabwe Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation Alexander Kozlov, Minister of Agriculture Oksana Lut, Minister of Healthcare Mikhail Murashko, Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov, Governor of the Central Bank Elvira Nabiullina, Director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation Dmitry Shugayev, Director General of the State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom Alexei Likhachev, and CEO – Chairman of the Management Board of ALROSA Pavel Marinychev.
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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr President,
Friends,
Welcome to Moscow once again. We are grateful to you for personally representing your country at the anniversary events commemorating the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
We remember that Zimbabwe, known as Southern Rhodesia at that time, had a training base where our allies trained flight personnel for combat aviation, pilots and navigators.
Zimbabwe is our reliable partner on the African continent. Next year, we will mark 45 years of diplomatic relations between our countries. You are always a welcome guest in Russia, Mr President.
In June last year, we had substantive talks on the sidelines of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum. Contacts are maintained between our respective government agencies; interparliamentary dialogue is advancing, and parliamentary friendship groups are active in both houses of the Russian Federal Assembly.
While current Russia-Zimbabwe trade remains modest, there is significant potential for growth across a range of sectors, including geological exploration, energy, and agriculture.
Cooperation in training your country’s specialists at Russian universities has also yielded positive results. At present, 460 students from Zimbabwe are pursuing studies at Russian universities. For the academic year 2025–2026, 125 government scholarships have been allocated. In addition, over 500 people are currently enrolled in online Russian language courses offered by St Petersburg State University. We also welcome the active involvement of your universities in the Russian-African Network University initiative.
We continue to provide the necessary assistance and support to your country whenever needed. Last year, we delivered 25,000 tonnes of wheat and tens of thousands of tonnes of fertilisers. Furthermore, in December 2025, a decision was made to allocate additional funding to the UN World Food Programme, among other support initiatives.
Russia and Zimbabwe share common – or closely aligned – positions on most key issues on the international agenda. We stand together in advocating for the establishment of a just multipolar world order based on the supremacy of international law. Mr President, we value your consistent support for Russian initiatives at the United Nations and other multilateral forums.
Russia places great importance on the comprehensive strengthening of its relations with the countries of the African continent. In November 2024, Sochi hosted the first conference of the Russia–Africa Partnership Forum at the level of foreign ministers. We are now preparing for the second ministerial conference, scheduled for the end of this year, and we look forward to welcoming your country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs at that event.
Mr President, this visit presents an excellent opportunity to explore practical steps for advancing our bilateral cooperation. Let me once again say how pleased we are to welcome you to Russia. You are most welcome!
President of Zimbabwe Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa: Dear brother,
Zimbabwe is honoured to be back in the Russian Federation again to participate in the commemoration of this 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
Allow me, Your Excellency, on behalf of the government and the people of Zimbabwe, and indeed on my own behalf, to formally extend our heartfelt congratulations to you and the people of the Russian Federation on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. I also congratulate you, Your Excellency and dear brother, for the memorable commemorations and the military parade we witnessed yesterday.
That Victory 80 years ago will stand for generations to come as a powerful testament of the courage, the resilience and sacrifice of the Russian people in securing peace, freedom, truth and justice for the people of this great country. It was the defining triumph of the human spirit over tyranny and oppression. In the spirit of collective remembrance of the fallen, the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, Zimbabwe further honours and salutes the immense sacrifices borne by the Russian Federation and its peoples in pursuit of freedom and the world peace which we all now enjoy.
We value the opportunity to once again hold discussions, to deepen and strengthen our existing bilateral cooperation, following our last meeting in St Petersburg in June 2024. I thank you, my dear brother.
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