Discussions about the base originally began during Omar al-Bashir’s rule, but were disrupted when he was removed from power in 2019.
However, two years later, the country’s democratic transition was interrupted by a military coup, and there are currently negotiations for a military-civilian power-sharing arrangement.
Days after a meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and interim Foreign Minister Ali al-Sadiq in the capital city of Khartoum, the provisional agreement on the base was reached.
A Sudanese military official stated “They [Russians] cleared all our concerns. The deal has become OK from the military side.”
“They have begun their offensive, they’re just not saying they have, and our troops are repelling it very powerfully. The offensive that they planned is already gradually underway. But [it is] not the offensive they were counting on,” Danilov said.
A U.S.-based think tank noted that it is also Russia’s pro-Kremlin military bloggers who question Moscow’s ability to launch a broad offensive in Ukraine. They “continue to appear demoralized at the Kremlin’s prospects for executing a major offensive,” the Institute for the Study of War said in its latest report.
Earlier this week the owner of the Wagner Group private military contractor actively involved in the fighting in Ukraine said that the war could drag on for years.
Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a video interview released late Friday that it could take 18 months to two years for Russia to fully secure control of Donbas. He added that the war could go on for three years if Moscow decides to capture broader territories east of the Dnieper River.
The statement from Prigozhin, a millionaire who has close links to Russian President Vladimir Putin and was dubbed “Putin’s chef” for his lucrative Kremlin catering contracts, marked a recognition of the difficulties that the Kremlin has faced in the campaign, which it initially expected to wrap up within weeks when troops invaded Ukraine on February 24 last year.
Russia suffered a series of humiliating setbacks in the fall when the Ukrainian military launched successful counteroffensives to reclaim broad swaths of territory in the east and the south.
However, Lavrov stated that the agreement still requires approval from Sudan’s upcoming legislative body.
The agreement grants Russia permission to establish a naval base with a capacity of 300 troops.
As well as permission to maintain four navy ships, which may include some nuclear-powered vessels, at strategic Port Sudan on the Red Sea.
In exchange for this permission, Russia will supply Sudan with weapons and military equipment.
“They have begun their offensive, they’re just not saying they have, and our troops are repelling it very powerfully. The offensive that they planned is already gradually underway. But [it is] not the offensive they were counting on,” Danilov said.
A US-based think tank noted that it is also Russia’s pro-Kremlin military bloggers who question Moscow’s ability to launch a broad offensive in Ukraine.
They “continue to appear demoralized at the Kremlin’s prospects for executing a major offensive,” the Institute for the Study of War said in its latest report.
Earlier this week the owner of the Russian Wagner Group private military contractor actively involved in the fighting in Ukraine said that the war could drag on for years.
