Russia and Mali sign trade deals, eye nuclear energy cooperation

MOSCOW: Russia signed agreements to bolster trade and economic ties with Mali on Monday and President Vladimir Putin told the visiting leader of the West African country’s military junta that there were specific areas where cooperation could be ramped up.

Putin received Colonel Assimi Goita in the Kremlin, where the two spoke for two hours, Russian state media said. Putin said relations with Mali had a “good upward trend” even if bilateral trade was currently “modest”, according to a Kremlin readout. “There are good areas for future cooperation: these are geological exploration, natural resource development, energy, logistics and the humanitarian fields,” Putin said.