Relationship dossier
Russia
Zambia
Relationship assessment
Nuclear-energy cooperation and official exchanges, alongside Zambia's condemnation of Russia's invasion of Ukraine
Russia toward Zambia
+25Russia has pursued bilateral cooperation with Zambia on the peaceful use of nuclear energy through an agreement with Zambia. Russian officials have also engaged with the Zambian government, including during a 2023 visit by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Zambia toward Russia
+10Zambia has engaged Russia in bilateral cooperation on peaceful nuclear-energy uses. In 2022, Zambia voted for a United Nations General Assembly resolution condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Overall relationship
+15The relationship includes official engagement and a bilateral framework for peaceful nuclear-energy cooperation, but its practical scope is unclear. Zambia's support for the 2022 United Nations General Assembly condemnation of Russia's invasion of Ukraine is a significant point of political divergence.
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
Russia and Zambia maintain relations that include cooperation on the peaceful use of nuclear energy and official exchanges. Their relationship is tempered by Zambia's support for a 2022 United Nations General Assembly resolution condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The scale and implementation of bilateral cooperation are unclear.
Areas of tension
- Zambia's support for the 2022 United Nations General Assembly resolution condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine
Key developments
Russia and Zambia established a bilateral framework for cooperation on the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
Zambia voted for a United Nations General Assembly resolution condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited Zambia for official talks.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of nuclear-energy cooperation are unclear.
- The extent of current bilateral economic and security cooperation is unclear.