Russian FM visits West Africa – level 2
07-06-2024 15:00
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is starting a tour of three West African countries. He is visiting Guinea.
Russia wants more influence in West Africa and invests in the region. Companies like Yango, a Russian taxi service, are operating in Senegal. Lavrov’s visit is about security and getting access to Guinea’s bauxite resources. Russia is getting more support in West Africa by sharing videos of Russian help on social media.
Russia’s trade with Africa is much smaller than with the EU. Last year, Russia traded 14 billion dollars with Africa, while the EU traded 300 billion. Young Africans see Russia as a new option for economic and security help. President Vladimir Putin never visited Africa, but Lavrov visited it many times.
Difficult words: influence (the power to change things), access (the way or possibility of getting to a place), option (a choice).
You can watch the original video in the Level 3 section.
What are some of the strategies Russia is using to gain more influence and support in West Africa?
LEARN 3000 WORDS with NEWS IN LEVELS
News in Levels is designed to teach you 3000 words in English. Please follow the instructions
below.
How to improve your English with News in Levels:
Test
- Do the test at Test Languages.
- Go to your level. Go to Level 1 if you know 1-1000 words. Go to Level 2 if you know 1000-2000 words. Go to Level 3 if you know 2000-3000 words.
Reading
- Read two news articles every day.
- Read the news articles from the day before and check if you remember all new words.
Listening
- Listen to the news from today and read the text at the same time.
- Listen to the news from today without reading the text.
Writing
- Answer the question under today’s news and write the answer in the comments.
Speaking
- Choose one person from the Skype section.
- Talk with this person. You can answer questions from Speak in Levels.
Stock images by Depositphotos
