Medvedev told the President of Zimbabwe that Russia will not allow new regions to be rejected

Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev held talks with the President of Zimbabwe, First Secretary of the Zimbabwe African National Union—Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) party EmmersonMnangagwa on November 1.

According to the EP, Medvedev thanked the leadership of Zimbabwe for a balanced approach to the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis and the referendums held in the Zaporozhyeand Kherson regions, as well as the DPR and LPR.

"The decision to include these regions in Russia on the basis of the will of their residents is forever. We will never allow anyone to alienate the mentioned territories and we will use all available opportunities to protect the people living there," Medvedev stressed in a conversation with the leader of Zimbabwe.

Mnangagwa, in turn, noted the inadmissibility of the collective West applying unilateral, illegitimate sanctions against the Russian Federation. He also confirmed the immutability of Harare's similar approach to discussing the Ukrainian story on international platforms, despite unprecedented pressure from outside.

The parties also discussed in detail the implementation of a number of economic projects, in particular in the mining industry. In addition, special attention is paid to the development of cooperation in the transport sector — both its railway component (modernization of the relevant infrastructure in Zimbabwe) and air (opening of direct air communication between states).

Separately, the issues of establishing supplies of Russian agricultural products and fertilizers to African countries in the face of obstacles imposed by Washington and its allies, as well as the implementation of training programs for Zimbabwean farmers were discussed.

Medvedev and Mnangagwa also touched upon topical issues of cooperation in the humanitarian field. In this regard, the readiness of the Russian Federation to continue to provide assistance to partners in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic was confirmed, and the mood was expressed to expand the practice of training Zimbabwean students in Russian universities.