Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin

Much of the raison d'être of the controversial 1 trillion rand (US$72 billion) nuclear deal with Russia rests on President Jacob Zuma's belief that he owes his life to President Vladimir Putin say sources close to the Zuma family...

Yet much as President Vladimir Putin may like dealing with a strongman a range of sources have told Africa Confidential that there remain limits to Moscow's commitment to Haftar and to a much wider role in Libya...

He has developed close relations with both Russia's President Vladimir Putin and new United States President Donald Trump...

Haftar already enjoys strong support from two other presidents Egypt's Abdel Fatah el Sisi and Russia's Vladimir Putin both of whom are close to Trump...

Talks with Moscow on financing the project are now however reported to be back on after President Vladimir Putin invited Museveni to Russia in November...

His handshake with President Vladimir Putin followed preparation of the ground by his closest advisor Fouad Ali el Hima and the seasoned royal Foreign Affairs Advisor Taieb Fassi-Fihri...

President Vladimir Putin's regime is more interested in Syria and Ukraine than Sudan said our source and is predicted to be even more obstructive over sanctions more widely blocking much of the UN Sanctions Committee's work...

He travels abroad regularly with Zuma and was one of the few ministers to accompany him to Russia in 2014 to meet President Vladimir Putin...

Meanwhile an early March visit to Algiers by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov led to speculation that Moscow was seeking to make 'mischief' in Libya building on President Vladimir Putin's success in changing the direction of the Syrian conflict...

The dismissal of Nene turned out to be the latest in a series of cabinet appointments made to circumvent resistance to the deal Zuma struck with Russia's President Vladimir Putin last year to build nuclear power plants in South Africa...