ALGERIA · DIPLOMACY
Key Facts
- —The country Algeria is Africa’s largest country by area and a major gas supplier to southern Europe. It has been a close partner of Moscow since the Cold War.
- —What happened On Thursday 15 October, Putin called Algeria “one of our close friends and allies” by video link to a Russian business forum.
- —The trade link Russia’s farm minister said dry-milk shipments to Algeria rose fourfold this year, and TSA in Algiers reported the remark on Monday 19 October.
- —The echo On Saturday 3 October, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune denied any chill with Russia and said he would not refuse closer economic integration.
- —The UN link On Friday 9 October, a Russian deputy foreign minister told Algeria’s ambassador that Moscow wants the UN mission in Western Sahara kept in its current form.
- —What it means for you Washington backs Morocco on Western Sahara, so Algeria and Russia voting alike at the UN Security Council could matter for US diplomacy.
- —Still open No gas, arms or trade deal accompanied the remarks, and no Algerian government reply to Putin has been published.
Putin calls Algeria “one of our close friends and allies”, the Russian president said by video link on Thursday 15 October. Algeria’s news site TSA reported the remark on Monday 19 October, after the Russian embassy in Algiers posted it online.
For US readers the message lands before a United Nations vote on Western Sahara, where Washington and Algiers stand on opposite sides. Algeria also supplies gas to Europe and spends more on its military than any African state.
What Putin Said in Moscow
Putin spoke on Thursday 15 October by video link to Business Russia, a national employers’ association, at its 21st forum-congress, the Kremlin transcript shows. “Algeria is one of our close friends and allies,” he said, adding that relations are good “in many areas.”
He said the two sides “have never let each other down” in economic work and called the Algerians “very responsible partners”. TSA, an independent Algiers news site whose name means Everything About Algeria, carried the remarks in an article by Ali Idir.
Dairy Exports Prompted the Remark
Stefan Duerr, head of the dairy group EkoNiva, asked Putin to extend a state scheme for Algerian milk-powder sales to other BRICS countries. Agriculture Minister Oksana Lut said Russian dry-milk shipments to Algeria rose fourfold this year.
Algerian news site Awras reported the remark in Arabic on Friday 16 October. It recalled a joint declaration from Tebboune’s June 2023 Moscow visit, which promised direct bank links and wider use of national currencies in trade.
Tebboune Set the Tone on 3 October
Putin calls Algeria a close ally about two weeks after Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, in office since December 2019, praised the same relationship. In a periodic meeting with national media broadcast on Saturday 3 October, Tebboune said ties “go back to before independence and have not changed.”
He added that if the friendship grows into economic integration, Algeria “will not say no”. Tebboune noted that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had visited only once in seven years, yet a phone call with Putin settles matters.
Russia Backs the UN Mission, Washington Backs Morocco
On Friday 9 October, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alimov met Algeria’s ambassador in Moscow, Toufik Djouama, TSA reported from a Russian foreign ministry statement. Alimov backed keeping the UN presence in Western Sahara “in its present form” until a settlement.
That presence is MINURSO, the UN mission watching a ceasefire between Morocco and the Polisario Front since 1991. The Polisario is an independence movement backed by Algeria, and the Security Council votes on the mission at the end of October.
When Putin calls Algeria an ally, the United States stands on the other side of the Western Sahara argument. On Friday 25 September, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau backed Moroccan sovereignty over the territory, as the Rio Times reported on 26 September.
Morocco and Algeria have had no diplomatic relations since August 2021, and Western Sahara is the sharpest of their disputes. Moscow’s public support for the UN mission lines it up with Algiers, not with Washington or Rabat.
Why Algeria Matters Beyond Russia
Algeria covers 2.38 million square kilometres, and its gas pipelines under the Mediterranean, Transmed to Italy and Medgaz to Spain, feed southern Europe. It spent about US$25.4 billion on defence in 2025, the most in Africa, says SIPRI, the Stockholm peace research institute.
Algeria also courts other partners, and Awras reported that Tebboune stressed balanced relations with the United States and China as well as Russia. The wider contest for influence is mapped in the Rio Times piece on who backs whom in Africa.
What It Means for US Readers
Energy investors and diplomats should read the fact that Putin calls Algeria an ally as a signal of alignment, not a new contract. Algeria sells gas to Europe, so any shift in its ties to Moscow would feed into European energy security and the sanctions debate over Russia.
If Putin calls Algeria an ally and Moscow votes with Algiers, the result would test US efforts to settle the dispute for Morocco. US companies eyeing the Maghreb should expect Algeria to keep both Moscow and Washington at the table.
What Is Not Known
Putin’s remarks came with no gas, arms or trade figures, and neither government has announced a new agreement. Algeria’s presidency and foreign ministry have not published a reply to the remark at the time of writing.
The Security Council has not yet voted on the mission, so Russia’s final position is still to be seen. It is also open whether Putin and Tebboune will meet again before the end of the year.
More: Algeria news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Putin say about Algeria?
Putin calls Algeria one of Russia’s close friends and allies, in remarks of Thursday 15 October. He added that the two countries have never let each other down in economic cooperation.
Where and when did Putin make the remark?
He spoke by video link to the 21st forum-congress of Business Russia, an employers’ association, in a reply on dairy exports. Algeria’s TSA site reported it on Monday 19 October after the Russian embassy in Algiers shared it.
Did Algeria answer after Putin called Algeria an ally?
No reply has been published. Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said on Saturday 3 October that relations with Russia had not changed and that Algeria would not refuse closer economic integration.
Why does the Putin Algeria ally message matter to the United States?
Algeria is a gas supplier to Europe and Africa’s biggest military spender. It also sits on the opposite side of Washington over Western Sahara, ahead of a UN Security Council vote at the end of October.
What is MINURSO?
MINURSO is the UN mission in Western Sahara, set up in 1991 to watch a ceasefire between Morocco and the Polisario Front. Russia says it wants the mission kept in its present form.
Sources: Kremlin transcript, Business Russia forum, 15 October 2026; TSA Algérie, 19 October 2026; TSA Algérie, 10 October 2026; Awras, 16 October 2026.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error