Relationship dossier
Eritrea
Russia
Relationship assessment
Political engagement and Eritrea’s support for Russia at the United Nations underpin a developing cooperative relationship.
Eritrea toward Russia
+35Eritrea voted against the March 2022 United Nations General Assembly resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, taking a position supportive of the Russian government. Eritrean and Russian officials have also held high-level talks on bilateral cooperation.
Russia toward Eritrea
+30Russian officials have pursued high-level engagement with Eritrea, including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s 2023 visit to Asmara and discussions on expanding bilateral cooperation. The practical scope of Russian economic or security assistance is unclear.
Overall relationship
+30The relationship is characterized by high-level political engagement and Eritrea’s alignment with Russia on a major international issue. Talks and cooperation agreements indicate a developing partnership, while the extent of practical economic and security ties remains uncertain.
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
Eritrea and Russia have developed closer political engagement, including high-level talks and agreements on cooperation. Eritrea has taken a notably supportive position toward Russia at the United Nations, voting against the 2022 General Assembly resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The relationship appears cooperative, although the scope and implementation of bilateral economic and security cooperation are unclear.
Key developments
Eritrea voted against a United Nations General Assembly resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited Asmara and held talks on bilateral cooperation.
Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki and Russian President Vladimir Putin met during the Russia–Africa summit and discussed bilateral relations.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral economic and security cooperation are unclear.
- The extent of practical Russian support for Eritrea is uncertain.