Relationship dossier
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Russia
Relationship assessment
Military cooperation and high-level engagement coexist with Congolese opposition to Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
Democratic Republic of the Congo toward Russia
+15The DRC pursued high-level engagement with Russia, including President Félix Tshisekedi’s meeting with Vladimir Putin at the 2019 Russia–Africa summit. It also supported United Nations resolutions condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and attempted annexations, demonstrating a clear policy difference.
Russia toward Democratic Republic of the Congo
+30Russia has pursued military cooperation with the DRC under a 2018 bilateral agreement, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited Kinshasa in 2022. The scale and implementation of military assistance are unclear.
Overall relationship
+25The relationship combines sustained diplomatic engagement with a concrete military-cooperation framework. Congolese support for United Nations resolutions condemning Russia’s actions in Ukraine is a significant counterpoint, leaving ties cooperative in some areas but not consistently aligned.
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
The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Russia have pursued military cooperation, including a 2018 agreement, and Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi met Vladimir Putin at the 2019 Russia–Africa summit. The relationship also includes a significant policy divergence: the DRC supported United Nations resolutions condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its attempted annexations. The breadth and implementation of bilateral cooperation are unclear.
Areas of tension
- The DRC supported United Nations resolutions condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and attempted annexations.
Key developments
The DRC and Russia concluded a military cooperation agreement.
Félix Tshisekedi met Vladimir Putin at the Russia–Africa summit in Sochi.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited Kinshasa.
The DRC supported a United Nations resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of the 2018 military cooperation agreement are unclear.
- The scale of Russian military equipment and training provided to the DRC is uncertain.
- The extent of bilateral cooperation beyond military and diplomatic engagement is unclear.