Tanzania’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Ambassador Mahmoud Thabit Kombo, met with the Russia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov, in Moscow on Monday, February 9, 2026. During the meeting, Kombo delivered a special message from the President of Tanzania concerning her postponed visit to Russia.
“The President was scheduled to come here on the 12th of February this month. Everything was organized, but an urgent issue came up, and she sent her regret, which is also written in the letter to his excellency President Vladimir Putin. She has instructed me to make sure I’am here before the 12th, the day that she was supposed to be here, in respect and significance of the invitation,” Kombo told Lavrov.
Tanzania’s Foreign Affairs Minister and his delegation have been on a diplomatic tour to engage the international community following the fallout from the contested October 29 general election. The contentious poll was accompanied by the largest youth-led protests in the country’s history, which resulted in the killing of hundreds of civilians during a security crackdown that the government has defended as appropriate.
Immediately after the election, Russia became the first country to send a delegation to Tanzania after the election on November 6, 2025. The delegation led by Sergei Kiriyenko, First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Russian Presidential Administration present a special message from President Vladimir Putin. The visit signaled Russia’s intention to assure Tanzania’s leadership of its support amid both domestic and international criticism. But also the strategic position of Russia in increasing its influence.
“It is our desire to see President Hassan in Russia. She has an invitation, and whenever she find convenient date we will be very glad to host her here, and I hope you will be accompanying her,” Lavrov told Kombo.
Although trade between Tanzania and Russia has historically remained moderate, largely involving Russian exports of defense and security equipment, wheat, and fertilizers, the two countries have maintained strong political relations. This cooperation is rooted in Tanzania’s long-standing non-aligned foreign policy, which allows engagement with both Eastern and Western blocs.
In investment arena, one of the recent flagship investments between the two nations is the uranium development project operated by Mantra Tanzania Limited, a subsidiary of Uranium One Group, whose parent shareholder is Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation (ROSATOM). The project is in Ruvuma, near the Mkuju River in southern Tanzania.
READ: President Samia Unveils Pilot Uranium Processing Plant: ‘A New Era for Tanzania’
The meeting comes as Russia prepares to host the third Russia–Africa Summit. At the previous summit, Tanzania was represented by the Prime Minister. Russia expressed satisfaction with the close cooperation between the two countries at the United Nations and within the framework of the Russia–Africa strategic partnership.
Lavrov noted that ministerial meetings under the Russia–Africa Partnership Forum were held in Sochi in November 2024 and in Cairo in December 2025 and underscored that the countries are in discussion for the appropriate venue and date of the forum.
