Sudan’s Sovereign Council Chairman, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, said on Friday that Sudan was prepared to offer Russia sites for investment in gold, copper, and other mineral extraction. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his country’s readiness to cooperate with Khartoum in “modern fields” during his meeting with al-Burhan in Moscow.
According to Russia’s TASS news agency, the head of Sudan’s Sovereign Council proposed that Russia establish a free economic zone on the Red Sea, which Moscow could use to set up facilities for storing fuel and wheat.
Al-Burhan also proposed Russian participation in developing Sudan’s railway infrastructure. He spoke of plans to expand the country’s railway network, adding that logistics chains for transporting goods by rail could be established with the participation of Russian companies.
For his part, President Putin said Moscow was ready to cooperate with Sudan in several modern fields, including digital development, healthcare, education, logistics, and industry. The Russian president also announced that he had handed the Russian authorities a “roadmap outlining promising areas of cooperation between the two countries.”
Putin added that trade and economic relations between Russia and Sudan “are steadily developing, despite the political complexities facing African countries.” The Russian news outlet Russia Today quoted Putin as saying that trade between Russia and Sudan had more than doubled in 2015 and increased by 25% between January and August 2026.
The Russian president noted that Sudan ranks among Russia’s top ten trading partners in Africa.
During his meeting with al-Burhan, President Putin also said he was considering what Russia could do to help ease the situation in Sudan. He called for an end to military operations in the country and a transition towards a political settlement.
