Putin’s Gift Diplomacy: Strategic Influence Through Presents (defence24.com)

• Gifts include limousines, helicopters, grain, and debt relief
• Targets are key partners in Africa and Global South
• Strategy complements weapons sales and summit diplomacy

"Russia under Putin employs gifts such as limousines, helicopters, grain deliveries, and debt relief not as simple courtesies but as deliberate political instruments. These offerings are aimed at building influence among select partners in Africa and the Global South. The Kremlin uses these gestures to buy visibility, loyalty, and access, complementing traditional tools like weapons sales and summit diplomacy."