General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the deputy head of Sudan’s ruling Sovereign Council, is visiting Moscow to meet with Russian officials. The visit aims to expand relations and strengthen cooperation between Sudan and Russia, despite Western sanctions on Russia due to the Ukraine conflict. Sudan’s foreign ministry insists the timing is coincidental and unrelated to the Ukraine situation. The delegation includes Sudanese ministers focusing on finance, minerals, livestock, and agriculture, indicating trade and investment topics. However, there is speculation that both countries, facing Western isolation, might leverage the situation to further their interests, including discussions on a potential Russian military base at Port-Sudan. Sudan's military has faced protests since taking power in October, but has expressed openness to the Russian base, according to statements made to Russian state media by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.