Russia's Putin and Congo's Sassou-Nguesso reminisce on World War 2 as they discuss military ties
A Congolese delegation led by the Congo Republic's president, Sassou-Nguesso, met with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and his team to discuss the relationship between their countries.
The Congolese president Sassou-Nguesso met with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss bilateral relations between their nations.
The meeting coincided with Russia's Victory Day commemorations, honoring their collaboration during the Second World War.
Putin highlighted stable mutual trade, educational partnerships, and aligned approaches on global issues.
After being welcomed by the Russian president during their meeting, the Congolese president thanked Putin for allowing him to participate in the celebrations commemorating the Great Patriotic War, which are currently being held in Moscow.
'I would like to cordially welcome you to today's meeting, which is taking place as part of our Victory Day commemoration of the Great Patriotic War,' Vladimir Putin stated.
He also touched on how both countries collaborated in the Second World War as valued partners, even working together during the Soviet era.
'Our mutual trade is stable, even if absolute numbers are modest, but we keep working to make sure that we attain better results in this field,' the Russian President stated.
'We have been preparing Congolese personnel in Russia, we have some 750 Congolese students attending our universities, and we allocated 250 state scholarships, and we are ready to increase this quota.
Russia and the Republic of the Congo share the same approaches to a number of global matters and matters on the global agenda. We appreciate the joint effort of our countries in the United Nations Organization,' he added.
From then on, Sassou-Nguesso went on to speak on the long-standing relationship between our two countries.
What Congolese president Sassou-Nguesso said
The Congolese president touched specifically on the fact that Africa was part of the movement that liberated the world from the grip of Nazi Germany, and he thanked the Russian president for ackknowldging that fact.
'Some people prefer to mention only the French army in the context of victory, but there were the Congolese troops as well that participated in that march and that parade,' Sassou-Nguesso stated.
'And people of Africa were also part of this movement, and it is a matter of great pride for us, and we are glad to see that you remember that we were part of the forces that fought against the Nazis.
Not only armed forces, but also our economic efforts were part of that Victory,' the Congolese President added.
Speaking on both countries' military ties, the Congolese president noted that their relationship is waxing strong, as evidenced by the fact that he was persuaded by some countries not to visit Russia but did so regardless.
'I would also like to say that some countries launched campaigns to talk us out of travelling here from participating in this event, but still we are here,' he stated.
'I also would like to mention the efforts that we are undertaking to consolidate our cooperation in defense, in the field of supplying our law enforcement agencies, our cooperation in training our civil engineers… and other fields such as energy,' he added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
an hour ago
- Chicago Tribune
The Tribune's Quotes of the Week quiz for June 7
Happy June, quotes readers! It was a tense and smoggy week in Chicago. Immigration advocates were alerted Wednesday of people being detained at a U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement office on the Near South Side. Organizers and several aldermen went to protest, and several of them clashed with federal agents. Now, City Council members plan to have a hearing to look into the Chicago Police Department's response to the demonstration. Local immigration advocates also plan to challenge President Donald Trump's travel ban that bars or restricts travelers from 19 countries. The U.S. president spoke with several world leaders this week. After a call with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Trump said the two countries will continue their trade talks. During their phone call Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin told the president that he would respond to Ukraine's recent drone attacks on a Russian airfield. And in a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump suggested that pursuing peace in eastern Europe is not the best path forward right now. Amidst all of this, the relationship between the president and his former close adviser Elon Musk came to a bitter end as the two exchanged harsh words on social media, and Trump threatened to cut Starlink and SpaceX's government contracts. The Trump administration is also investigating former President Joe Biden's use of an autopen to sign pardons and other documents. Meanwhile in Chicago, Mayor Brandon Johnson pushed aldermen to add a city grocery tax as the long-established state grocery levy expires. A jury found Crosetti Brand guilty of first-degree murder in the slaying of Jayden Perkins, the 11-year-old killed in a brutal 2024 attack as he tried to protect his pregnant mother. And Chicago police determined that Officer Krystal Rivera, a mother and four-year veteran of the force, was mistakenly shot and killed by a fellow cop during a confrontation with an armed suspect Thursday in the Chatham neighborhood. In Springfield, Illinois lawmakers voted to pass the state budget. The $55 billion spending plan was balanced with a combination of spending cuts and an estimated $800 million in tax increases, including hikes on tobacco products, vaping and online sportsbooks. The passage of the budget closed out a legislative session with mixed results for Gov. JB Pritzker. Jerry Reinsdorf is selling the Chicago White Sox — just not this year. On Thursday, the team announced Reinsdorf and billionaire Justin Ishbia reached a long-term investment agreement for Ishbia to obtain a controlling interest in the team by 2029 at the earliest. In other sports news, the Chicago Fire are privately financing a $650 million soccer stadium at The 78, the Chicago Sports Network is finally broadcasting on Comcast and the Chicago Sky are taking on the Indiana Fever this weekend in the first professional women's basketball game played at the United Center. But fans hoping to catch another matchup between Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark will have to wait: The 2024 WNBA rookie of the year is out for a quadriceps strain. Though the forecast looks nice, you may consider spending some time indoors this weekend. Smoke from Canadian wildfires is blanketing Chicago, with the city's air quality at times ranked the worst in the U.S. That's it for the news! Test your knowledge of who said what with the Tribune's Quotes of the Week quiz from June 1 to 7. Missed last week? You can find it here or check out our past editions of Quotes of the Week.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Cheap, fast and armed: U.S. looks to thwart Ukraine-style drone swarms
Cheap, fast and armed: U.S. looks to thwart Ukraine-style drone swarms Ukraine recently used inexpensive drones to inflict serious damage to Russia's strategic bomber fleet in an audacious attack. Show Caption Hide Caption Ukrainian drone attack hits Russian air force bases A large scale Ukrainian drone attack hit multiple Russian air force bases, significantly setting Russia back. A senior U.S. military official said it was only a matter of time before drones were used in a "mass casualty event" in the U.S. Last year, the military tallied 350 drone incursions on domestic bases. Most were thought to be the work of hobbyists who strayed into restricted airspace. WASHINGTON − Cheap weaponized drones pose a threat to military bases and civilians, leading a senior military official to predict they'll be used soon to inflict a 'mass-casualty event.' Ukraine underscored the risk to advanced military powers on June 1 when its inexpensive drones damaged or destroyed strategic warplanes across Russia. U.S. military bases, and targets like major sports events, share similar vulnerabilities, officials say. Neither the Pentagon, nor the militaries of other developed countries, has figured out how to defend against swarms of small drones packed with explosives, according to the military official, who has been briefed on counter-drone efforts but was not authorized to speak publicly. More: Russia's 'Pearl Harbor': What to know about Ukraine's audacious drone strike We're not even close, the official said. No one is. The threat from drones to military isn't just overseas. Last year, the military tallied 350 drone incursions on domestic bases, according to U.S. Northern Command. Most of those were probably hobbyists who strayed into restricted airspace, the defense official said. Some, however, could have been from foreign adversaries spying on the military. And some wonder if they could have carried explosives. More: Ukraine drone attack shows familiar-looking drones can be terrifying weapons How does the Pentagon, which spends nearly a trillion dollars a year on defense, have such a vulnerability? What's being done to address it, and how future of drone warfare plays out gains greater and greater urgency for lawmakers and military planners as technology improves almost daily. For the better part of two decades, the Pentagon had unmatched superiority in drone technology. Early in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Predator and later Reaper drones armed with Hellfire missiles allowed pilots in dark bases in the Nevada desert to attack militant targets in the Middle East. A Reaper costs about $28 million, according to the Congressional Research Service. For a fraction of that cost today, a small drone can be weaponized and flown to its target and deliver devastating effects, too. 'At a cost of a mere tens of thousands of dollars, Ukraine inflicted billions in damage, potentially setting back Russia's bomber capabilities for years,' Army Secretary Dan Driscoll testified to Congress this week. 'The world saw in near-real time how readily available technology can disrupt established power dynamics.' Ukraine has been at the forefront of militarized drone development. By necessity, it needs a cheap alternative to thwart Russia, a country with a far larger military force that has advantages in conventional weapons like warplanes, tanks and artillery. Ukraine deployed first-person view, or FPV drones, in its attack on the Russian airfields. FPV drones allow a pilot with a headset to steer the aircraft to its target. That technology has proliferated and gotten relatively cheap in recent years. You can buy an FPV drone on Amazon for under $700. The Ukrainian military has refined technology for small drones and improves nearly weekly to offset Russian countermeasures, the defense official said. Fatal attack The Pentagon is painfully aware of the threat. In January 2024 militants in Jordan launched a drone attack on an outpost in the desert as soldiers slept in their quarters. Three died when the drone slammed into their building. Realizing the urgency of the threat, the Pentagon began funneling hundreds of millions of dollars into counter-drone weaponry. That includes electronic jamming devices that can sever the link between the operator and the drone, rendering it harmless. Small missiles can be fired at drones at a distance, and shotgun-type weapons can be used for those closer in, the official said. Even nets can be used to snag drones in the air before they reach their target. Defending against a swarm of small drones is a tough problem, the official said. There's no simple solution. On Capitol Hill, Sen. Roger Wicker, the Republican chairman of the Armed Services Committee, assured Army officials that Congress is prepared to spend billions on drone defense. Before senators and Army officials retreated to discuss the drone threat in secret, Driscoll raised another alarm about the threat. 'We are not doing enough,' he said. 'The current status quo is not sufficient.'
2 hours ago
Russian strikes on Ukraine overnight kill 7 and injure at least 41
LONDON -- At least seven people were killed and 41 others were injured in massive Russian strikes across Ukraine overnight, which targeted civilian and energy infrastructure, Ukrainian authorities said Saturday morning. "Russia continues its terror against civilians," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said in a social media post on Saturday morning. "Hundreds of drones and missiles rained down on Ukraine overnight. Kharkiv had a particularly terrible night." In the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, Russian strikes killed three people and injured another 21. Among those injured was an infant and a 14-year-old girl, according to Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov. An additional person was injured in the city of Kupyansk, southeast of Kharkiv, in the surrounding region, according to Kharkiv Oblast Gov. Oleh Syniehubov. Russia attacked Kharkiv with 48 drones, five guided aerial bombs, four MLRS and three missiles, targeting homes and civilian infrastructure facilities in the city's Kyivskyi and Osnovianskyi districts, according to Syniehubov. Meanwhile, Russian strikes killed two people -- a married couple, aged 56 and 54 -- in the southern Ukrainian port city of Kherson and injured another 10 people in the surrounding region, according to Kherson Oblast Gov. Olexandr Prokudin. In eastern Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast, two people were killed and eight others were injured in Russian strikes, according to Gov. Vadym Filashkin. And in northeastern Ukraine's Sumy Oblast, Russian strikes injured one person, according to the regional administration. Across Ukraine overnight, Russia launched a total of 215 projectiles -- 206 drones, two ballistic missiles, six guided aircraft missiles and one cruise missile -- of which 174 were neutralized, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. "There were strikes throughout Ukraine -- in the Donetsk, Dnipro, Ternopil, Odesa, and other regions," the foreign minister said. "People were injured and killed, and the energy infrastructure was also damaged." Sybiha added: "To put an end to Russia's killing and destruction, more pressure on Moscow is required, as are more steps to strengthen Ukraine. Russia is a terrorist state, and it must be called such. It has already done more than enough to earn this title."
