Relationship dossier
Benin
Russia
Relationship assessment
Benin and Russia maintain diplomatic engagement, with security cooperation discussed but its practical scope unclear.
Benin toward Russia
+20Benin received Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Cotonou in 2023 and held talks on bilateral cooperation, including security matters.
Russia toward Benin
+20Russia engaged Benin through Lavrov’s 2023 visit to Cotonou and discussions on bilateral cooperation, including security and military-technical matters.
Overall relationship
+15The relationship features diplomatic engagement and discussion of security cooperation, but its practical scope and durability are unclear. The known engagement supports a modest cooperative characterization rather than a close strategic partnership.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Benin and Russia maintain diplomatic engagement, including Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s visit to Cotonou in 2023. The visit included talks on bilateral cooperation, including security and military-technical matters. The scope and practical implementation of cooperation are unclear, and the relationship appears less extensive than a close strategic partnership.
Key developments
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited Cotonou and held talks with Beninese officials on bilateral cooperation, including security matters.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of security and military cooperation discussed during Lavrov’s visit are unclear.
- The extent of sustained bilateral cooperation beyond high-level meetings is uncertain.