Belarus, Kenya vow to boost ties as Minsk seeks African allies

The presidents of Kenya and Belarus agreed to “broaden ties” during talks in Nairobi on Monday, the Kenyan presidency said, as diplomatically-isolated Minsk seeks to secure more African allies.

The visit comes a day after Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a staunch ally of Moscow, was in Equatorial Guinea as part of an African tour to bolster ties on the continent.

Lukashenko was received at State House in the capital Nairobi, his Kenyan counterpart William Ruto said on X, formerly Twitter.

The two leaders “agreed to broaden our ties to renewable energy, trade, investment and education,” Ruto said.

“Immense opportunities exist between Kenya and Belarus that must be exploited for the prosperity of the two countries,” Ruto said, adding that the East African nation was keen on tapping Belarus’ technology in agriculture.

Western countries have sanctioned Belarus and isolated Lukashenko for his firm backing of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, and a crackdown on domestic dissent.

The Eastern European country relies heavily on Russia for political and financial support, and was used as a launchpad for Moscow’s assault against Ukraine in February 2022.

Kenya and Belarus did not mention Russia’s offensive in their statements on the visit.

With the conflict still raging in Ukraine, Moscow and Kyiv have sought to bolster support on Africa for their cause.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made a surprise visit to Kenya in May on the heels of an African tour by his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba.

On Saturday, the Belarusian presidency said Lukashenko’s visit was aimed at “intensifying interaction in all areas of mutual benefit” and continuing to establish “close ties” between Minsk and African countries.